Macron, Merz criticize Costa over talks with Putin – Politico
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the decision by European Council President António Costa to establish dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Politico stated this in an article, citing five EU diplomats and officials, Ukrinform reported.
According to the sources, during the summit in Brussels - on Thursday evening, without aides and even without mobile phones because of the sensitivity of the topic - Macron and Merz criticized Costa's efforts to establish contact with the Kremlin on behalf of all 27 governments.
Sources said that Costa's chief of staff, Pedro Lourtie, contacted Russian officials twice in recent weeks. Costa's team stated that the conversations were intended solely to establish a diplomatic communication channel with Russia so that the EU would have a means of protecting its interests when the time comes. They added that the contacts were brief and contained no substantive discussions.
According to the sources, Macron and Merz believe that now is not the right time to engage in talks with Putin and that, when such a moment arrives, the initiative should be led by the "E3" countries — France, Germany, and United Kingdom. One source said that Merz told fellow leaders that although Costa represents the EU, he should not act as a mediator.
One source described Costa's actions as "highly unprofessional," arguing that he had concealed the extent of his contacts with Russia, which only became public through media reports on Wednesday.
However, many other EU leaders reportedly took the opposite view and supported Costa, arguing that maintaining such communication falls within the EU's role.
The issue also exposed broader tensions within Europe. According to two officials, Italy and Poland — part of the informal "E5" grouping — were frustrated that they had not been included in preliminary discussions between the E3 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the summit.
Some EU officials also questioned why the European Council should lead such diplomatic efforts on behalf of the bloc rather than the European Commission or the European External Action Service.
One diplomat said Costa's office had informed Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission before the calls took place. However, three other diplomats disputed that claim, saying Berlin had not been notified.
"The European Union cannot assume the role of mediator in these negotiations. Suggestions that alternative channels or backdoor diplomatic tracks are needed are misguided … History offers a clear warning about attempts to pursue alternative negotiating frameworks with dictators," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Politico.
"The first question is whether Putin wants to negotiate. Until then … no one other than Costa can represent the European Union. If he [Putin] shows a willingness to negotiate, then I believe we will have to decide again how we should proceed," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told the publication.
As Ukrinform reported, European Council President António Costa established contact with the Kremlin in an effort to bring Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin into discussions on ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Photo: António Costa / X