Costa's Office Held Brief Diplomatic Contact with Kremlin, EU Official Says

The office of European Council President Antonio Costa has had brief diplomatic contact with Kremlin representatives in an effort to open communication channels, an anonymous EU official said on Wednesday.

Discussions are ongoing in Europe about whether to engage with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. "In recent weeks, there have been short contacts at the diplomatic level to open communication channels, but nothing substantive was discussed," the official stated.

The debate about resuming European ties with Moscow has intensified as US efforts to halt the war in Ukraine have stalled, while US President Donald Trump's attention has shifted to Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will join EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, has urged Europe to take a more active role.

"In any future scenario, the EU has specific interests that need to be defended, so it is important to establish diplomatic channels with Russia," the official noted. "The EU is not a mediator. It supports Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace."

The official added that Costa has coordinated potential issues of discussion with Russia with EU leaders.

Last week, the ambassadors of Britain, France, and Germany to Russia urged direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On Tuesday, at the G7 summit in France, which also included Zelensky, Trump stated that Moscow should agree to a deal to end the war against Ukraine.

Zelensky reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had rejected an offer to meet during the G7 summit, but the Ukrainian president expressed readiness to meet with the Russian leader on US soil, as conveyed to Trump.