Europe Faces Internal Strife Over Russia Contacts; Germany and France 'Incensed' by Secret EU Outreach

Some European nations are pushing back after it was revealed that aides to António Costa, President of the European Council, made behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts with Russia with future peace negotiations in mind.

Politico reported on June 18 (local time) that several countries, including the EU's "double engine" of Germany and France, strongly criticized the attempt by Costa's team during the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, exposing internal divisions.

According to EU diplomats and officials familiar with the matter, during the meeting, which ran late into the night past its scheduled time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron publicly expressed their displeasure that the European Council President, who represents the 27 EU member states, attempted to contact Russia secretly without prior explanation or notification to member states.

According to the dpa news agency, a German government official, speaking after the summit, described the move by Costa's team as uncoordinated with member states and unprofessional, even calling it "offensive."

Politico reported that several leaders gathered at the summit were incensed when they first learned from a Bloomberg News report on June 17 that Pedro Lourtie, Costa's chief of staff and close aide, had contacted Kremlin officials in recent weeks.

They argued that it was inappropriate to engage in secret diplomatic contacts without a mandate from member states, and to fail to share the details with member states afterward.

Following the media reports, Costa's office explained, "In the past few weeks, the office of the President of the European Council, led by António Costa, made brief contacts to open communication channels with Russian President Vladimir Putin," adding, "No substantive discussions took place."

An official from Costa's team defended the move, emphasizing the importance of establishing diplomatic channels with Russia to protect EU interests in preparation for future peace agreements.

However, Chancellor Merz and President Macron reportedly made it clear during the meeting that now is not the right time to begin talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also maintained that even if the time comes for Russia and Europe to sit down together, negotiations should be led by the so-called "E3" (Germany, France, and the UK) rather than the EU leadership.

Politico reported that opinions were split at the summit. While Denmark, the Netherlands, and the highly anti-Russian Baltic states supported the stance of Germany and France, many other countries, including Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Austria, reacted positively to establishing communication channels with Russia at the EU level.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal expressed skepticism about the attempt by Costa's team, saying, "History clearly warns us of the consequences of trying to establish separate negotiation frameworks with dictators," and adding, "The EU cannot play the role of a mediator in such negotiations."

Conversely, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez showed a contrasting reaction, saying, "We are ready to support any attempt that can be made to achieve peace and end the war in Ukraine."

Politico noted that the incident highlights Europe's dilemma over when, how, and who should engage in direct negotiations with Russia to end the war.

As U.S.-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine have stalled, Europe is divided over whether it should restore diplomacy and engage in direct talks with Russia—having severed ties since the outbreak of the war in February 2022—or focus on supporting Ukraine so it can gain the upper hand on the battlefield.

Even if direct talks with Russia were to begin, opinions remain divided over who should represent Europe and how the dialogue should be conducted.

As his actions sparked controversy, Costa actively defended his diplomatic outreach to Russia during a press conference closing the summit on the afternoon of June 19.

While noting that there are "no credible signs" that Russia is willing to negotiate in good faith, he stressed, "Nevertheless, what I am pursuing through my office is to establish diplomatic channels. This is because we cannot rely solely on other countries to interpret Russia's messages, and we must be able to deliver our messages directly to Russia."

He also dismissed interpretations that there is competition between different diplomatic forces within Europe.

"I do not believe there is any contradiction or competition between different actors or negotiation formats. They are complementary," Costa said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also appealed for unity, saying, "When Russia comes to the negotiating table, Europe will need a united message."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.