European Council President António Costa on justified, Friday 19 June, the contact made by his cabinet with the Kremlin. Several Member States were reportedly unhappy at having been informed of this contact a posteriori.
“My role, through my office, is to establish a diplomatic channel”, Mr Costa stressed. “We cannot rely solely on the interpretation of Russia’s messages and we must be able to convey our own messages directly to Russia”, he explained.
The President of the European Council specified that the contacts were not intended to negotiate. “We have noted together that the time has not yet come to launch genuine negotiations”, confirmed Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
But, “sooner or later, Russia will have to sit down at the negotiating table. (...) When the time comes, we will need a united European message to send to President Putin”, explained European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. But, according to Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, there is “no point in having diplomatic channels if there is no reason to start talks”.
While the E3 (Germany, France, and the United Kingdom) has also made contact with Russia, the President of the European Council explained that there was “neither contradiction nor competition between the different actors”. And he added that: “They are complementary”.
According to Mr Costa, the coalition of the willing and their leaders will have to play a role regarding security guarantees and the EU will have a role in defending its interests. “Points falling within the EU’s interests must be defended by the European institutions, in accordance with the Treaty”, Mr Costa specified. “President Costa represents the 27 Member States. Instruments relating, for example, to energy, immobilised assets, sanctions, the defence industry and other areas fall within the Commission’s remit”, Ms von der Leyen recalled.
While German Chancellor Friedrich Merz considered that it was “not necessary to decide” now “who will represent the EU; we will decide that at the start of the negotiations”, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, “the EU will have to be represented and António Costa will have a place as President of the European Council”.
Whoever represents the Union at the negotiating table, several European leaders explained, as the High Representative of the Union had already done (see EUROPE 13876/14), that they will not be a mediator. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)