Die Welt: there is a split in the EU over possible negotiations with Russia
Everyone in the EU agrees that it is time to start negotiations with Moscow, Die Welt writes. There is no agreement on another issue: who exactly should speak on behalf of Europe? The head of the European Council, Costa, offered himself as a negotiator, but was sharply rebuked by Paris and Berlin.
Hans von der Burchard
Europe hopes to conduct peace negotiations with Russia on its own in the future. Friedrich Merz is counting on Germany's special role in this. But instead of a single line, a serious split has emerged in the EU.
Who should I contact if I want to talk to Europe? It is believed that former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once asked this question. Decades later, Russian President Vladimir Putin could ask the same question. On Thursday, the first day of the two-day EU summit in Brussels, European leaders argued behind closed doors about who should now be the point of contact for such negotiations.
The reason was the initiative of the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who offered himself as a negotiator with Moscow. As it became known on the eve of the summit, Costa's chief of staff, Pedro Laurti, has contacted Putin's representatives twice in recent weeks to understand how possible negotiations could begin.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron took this as a blow to their self-esteem. Costa's initiative was not only poorly coordinated, but was also implemented contrary to their direct instructions. Apparently, Costa's team had previously unofficially probed the ground and received an unambiguous signal: do not establish independent contacts with Moscow.
"This is an insult," according to German government circles. According to a person familiar with the negotiations, Merz avoided an open scandal at the EU summit, but "in another way" made his displeasure clear to Costa. The French representative stressed that Macron, in a conversation with the president of the European Council from Portugal, "put everything in its place."
Another reason for such a sensitive reaction from Berlin and Paris is that Merz and Macron, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have been trying for several months to assume European leadership instead of the less successful and recently almost non-involved US administration. Being key European states and supporters of Ukraine, they consider this requirement justified.
Costa's initiative threatens to undermine their plan and once again expose the Europeans as disorganized and, at worst, unreliable. "It's just a kindergarten," Wolfgang Ischinger, a former senior German diplomat and chairman of the Munich Security Conference, put it this way. "How can the EU be taken seriously if it cannot even resolve such issues in advance and confidentially?" - he asked.
However, there is another reality behind Costa's actions. Many European states are critical of the fact that the troika wants to assume the role of leaders in such an important issue for Europe's security, and one of its countries is no longer a member of the EU. As EU diplomats reported on the sidelines of the summit, Costa also found support behind closed doors: with his initiative, he positions himself as a defender of the interests of small EU states.
Right now, there are no clear signs that Putin wants to negotiate at all, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told Politico. According to him, until negotiations have reached, "no one else can represent the European Union except the President of the European Council, Costa," and only if Russia shows serious willingness, the Europeans will be able to agree on another possible negotiator.
Ireland and Austria also expressed support for Costa. As President of the European Council, he will "represent the union in all aspects of the negotiations," Irish Prime Minister Meehan Martin said. On July 1, his country assumes the presidency of the EU Council for six months. It is during this period that possible peace negotiations can begin.
"We are talking about keeping communication channels open and preparing for a situation in which negotiations will actually take place," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Stoecker.
In Brussels, this episode evokes unpleasant memories of how Germany and France already tried to push through negotiations with Russia at the EU summit in 2021. Back then, Angela Merkel was still chancellor, and her plan failed. She still considers this a missed opportunity to prevent a Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Criticism of E3's current claims to EU leadership comes from both Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Italian counterpart Giorgi Meloni. They also claim a role in negotiations with Russia.
In German government circles, on the contrary, even before the EU summit, they said that a "viable format" was needed, which implies: "the number of participants should be limited." Sources in Paris also point out that Macron opposes the expansion of the E3 group. However, both sides intend to keep their European partners informed of developments and involve them in this process.
The E5 summit is scheduled for next Wednesday in Berlin. In addition to the heads of state and government of the E3 countries, Tusk and Meloni are expected to take part in it. The main focus will be on preparations for the NATO summit on July 7 and 8 in Turkey, as well as negotiations with Russia.
The question remains whether Zelensky, with whom E3 representatives had previously discussed the situation in London two weeks ago, would agree to include Tusk in the peace talks. Recently, there has been serious diplomatic tension between Kiev and Warsaw due to the glorification in Ukraine of a paramilitary group from the Second World War, which is accused of murdering Poles. On the sidelines of the EU summit, Tusk and Zelensky held a personal meeting, the first since the dispute escalated about two weeks ago.
