EU governments debate who could negotiate with Putin as Washington pushes a trilateral summit
European governments are considering who should represent the EU in possible direct talks with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. Candidates include Alexander Stubb, António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, but no agreement has been reached after the US proposed a trilateral summit involving Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Key points
- No EU representative for potential talks with Putin has been selected.
- Possible candidates include Alexander Stubb, António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas.
- US envoy Steve Witkoff proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Zelensky to discuss a ceasefire.
- Petr Pavel said Putin refuses to engage with von der Leyen, Kallas and Emmanuel Macron.
- Stubb is regarded as potentially having strong ties with Trump and Finland has extensive experience dealing with Russia.
- Costa said he does not currently plan to talk to Putin.
- EU talks in Oslo covered territorial issues, security guarantees and Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.
Why it matters
The choice will shape Europe's role in negotiations driven by Washington and Moscow. Putin's reported reluctance to engage with several European leaders narrows the field, while European concerns that talks could exclude the EU raise the stakes for Ukraine's interests and regional security.
What happened
The debate intensified after US special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and proposed that Putin meet Trump and Zelensky to discuss a ceasefire. European governments are now weighing whom to authorize for possible direct negotiations with Putin. Stubb brings ties with Trump and Finland's experience with Russia, Costa has a communication channel with the Kremlin, von der Leyen has negotiated directly with Trump, and Kallas is the EU's foreign policy chief. EU officials have not agreed on a nominee.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasises Europe's internal disagreement and concern that Trump could pursue settlement terms perceived as favouring Russia without adequate Ukrainian or European input. From Ukraine's perspective, meaningful EU participation is important to ensuring that territorial issues, security guarantees and reconstruction are addressed.
Where reporting differs
European diplomats disagree about the suitability of the candidates. One camp sees Costa as a more neutral choice than von der Leyen and Kallas, whom it considers too closely aligned with Ukraine's position. However, Costa himself said he does not currently plan to contact Putin. Another view holds that the EU should speak through a single unified representative rather than several officials or only a few major European states.
Background
On 20 October, Stubb joined Zelensky and Witkoff in Norway before Witkoff's Moscow visit. EU Commission chief of staff Björn Seibert also attended preparatory meetings in Oslo about a possible trilateral or broader negotiation format. Finland's potential candidacy is supported by its roughly 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, a history of wars between the two countries and extensive experience interacting with Moscow.