Talk to Russia? First, Europe needs to pick an envoy – and know what it wants to say

Lead

European Union foreign ministers met informally in Cyprus to discuss the bloc's potential role in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, with the EU's top diplomat warning against getting sidetracked by debates over who might represent Europe in any talks with Moscow.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said before the meeting that discussions should focus on substance rather than personalities. Her comments came as Ukraine pushed for Europe to take a more active part in peace efforts and as several names, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, were floated as potential envoys.

The meeting in Limassol on May 27-28 was held as US-led mediation efforts appeared stalled and Russia continued its military campaign in Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told the BBC that Kyiv wanted to introduce "new dynamics" into the negotiation process, suggesting "more active participation by the European side."

Coverage comparison

Reports from multiple outlets highlighted different aspects of the discussions. The BBC and Deutsche Welle focused on Kallas's warning against a Russian "trap" of getting consumed by who would represent the EU in negotiations. France 24 emphasized Europe's growing consideration of talking to Moscow and the need to define red lines first.

The Guardian also reported Kallas's caution against focusing on personalities, quoting her saying: "It's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not."

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported on the EU's demands for a ceasefire and on the absence of decisions at the meeting. A European diplomatic source told TASS that ministers discussed preconditions and red lines but made no decisions on talks or on a negotiator. The source said the issue would be taken up at the EU summit on June 18-19.

Key claims

The EU will continue to demand a ceasefire in Ukraine as a precondition for negotiations with Russia, Kallas said at a press conference after the meeting. She said "an unconditional ceasefire is a prerequisite for any kind of peace negotiations" and that Russia must also cease "sabotage operations, cyber-attacks, election interference" and "airspace violations across Europe."

Kallas stressed the importance of substance over personalities in talks, saying negotiations are "always a team effort" with "good cops" and "bad cops," and that "the substance is much more important than the who." She also rejected Moscow's suggestion of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a potential EU mediator, a proposal France 24 reported was "roundly rejected."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote this month that "Europe must be involved in the negotiations" and that it is important for Europe "to have a strong voice and presence in this process," as reported by France 24 and The Guardian.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he "probably couldn't answer in the negative" if offered the task of mediating with Russia, but only after Russia agreed to a ceasefire, according to the BBC. TASS reported that Stubb also said he does not believe there is a threat of a Russian attack against the Baltic states, and a German newspaper commentary described his statements as a "disaster" for supporters of military escalation.

No decisions were made during the Cyprus meeting regarding talks with Russia or on who might serve as Europe's negotiator, a European diplomatic source told TASS. The source said the ministers discussed "the list of preconditions for peace and the start of peace talks, and also on red lines," adding that "this is just the start of a lengthy process."

Artyom Sokolov, a senior researcher at MGIMO University, told TASS that the EU's push for representation in negotiations was driven by an understanding that it is impossible to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. He doubted the EU would "seize the opportunity from the United States on the negotiation track," as Europeans lacked the same track record of talks as Russian and American negotiators.