The EU is looking for a negotiator with Russia

Supporters of this plan, notably France and Italy, have secured the backing of the European Commission and a number of other countries, Politico reports.

They argue that Europe will only be able to maintain its red lines, such as Ukraine's possible future membership in NATO, if the EU has a seat at the negotiating table.

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This unprecedented move marks a major shift in Europe's approach to a series of bilateral talks organized by US President Donald Trump and comes at a time when the continent is seeking to demonstrate its willingness to play an important role in any settlement that would end the four-year war.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have joined forces in recent weeks to call for the opening of diplomatic channels with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, even as peace talks at the White House stall.

“In recent days, Macron has argued that, given the bilateral talks between the Americans and Russians, it is important to at least play a role in the discussion,” the French official said.

According to him, Meloni actively supported this.

“They are not naive about what can be achieved through these talks, but given the balance between non-interference and interference, there is a growing understanding [of the advantages of interference] in some capitals,” the interlocutor added.

European leaders first discussed the idea of a special envoy at the EU summit in March last year, a senior EU official confirmed. Despite broad support, no decision was taken and the proposals were not included in the subsequent joint statement.

The ambassador's role would be narrowly focused on representing Brussels in negotiations with Kyiv.

Officials confirmed that key aspects of the job — such as whether it would represent only the EU or the entire “coalition of the determined,” including the UK and other countries — have yet to be decided. The same applies to diplomatic rank and whether to formally appoint an official or informally delegate the role to a current national leader.

Four diplomats noted that Finnish President Alexander Stubb has often been seen as a potential representative of Europe in any negotiations with Washington and Moscow.

Two EU officials stressed that the position of special envoy does not exist and that any talk of candidates is premature. However, a third noted that none of these positions exist until they are created.

Photo: La Gran Epoca.
 

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