António Costa: EU prepares for possible talks with Russia

The leaders of the European Union (EU) countries are preparing for potential talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced European Council President António Costa.

His words were reported by the British newspaper The Financial Times (FT) in an article published on Thursday, May 7.

"I am engaging with the leaders of the 27 member states to determine how best to organize ourselves and what exactly we need to discuss with Russia when the right moment arrives," Costa said, speaking at the European University Institute in Florence.

According to him, "there is potential" for talks with Putin, but so far "no one has seen" signs of Russia's readiness for "effective" participation in "serious" discussions. Costa also noted that the EU does not intend to interfere with the negotiations being conducted by the United States.

Speaking about preparations for a potential dialogue with Russia, Costa mentioned that at the EU summit in Cyprus at the end of April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged EU representatives to "be ready to make a positive contribution to the negotiations." A senior Ukrainian official confirmed this: "We need closer coordination at the European level." According to him, the EU could participate in the negotiations as a "leader" representing "all Europeans."

The last contact between Russia and the EU took place in February 2026.

Source: DW