French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clashed with European partners over European Council President António Costa’s attempt to establish a communication channel with the Kremlin. Costa’s chief of staff Pedro Lourtie conducted exploratory contacts with Russian representatives, described as purely procedural. Macron and Merz argued conditions aren’t ready for engagement with Putin, insisting France, Germany, and the UK should lead future dialogue. Italy and Poland expressed frustration over exclusion from early consultations, while several governments only learned of the outreach through media reports, intensifying calls for greater transparency and formal coordination mechanisms.
In-Depth:
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have clashed with several European partners over efforts by European Council President António Costa to establish a communication channel with the Kremlin, highlighting growing divisions inside the EU over how to approach Moscow, according to Politico.
Further reading: EU Shockwave: Costa Opens Backchannel With Moscow, Leaders Divided Over Russia Contact Strategy
The initiative, which involved exploratory contacts through Costa’s chief of staff Pedro Lourtie with Russian representatives, was defconcludeed by Costa’s team as a limited and procedural step aimed at ensuring the EU would have a functional line of communication if circumstances required it. Officials stressed that the contacts did not involve neobtainediations or policy discussions.
One EU official declared, “The goal was solely to create a communication channel that, if necessary, would protect the interests of the EU,” underlining that the outreach was intconcludeed as a technical diplomatic measure rather than a political shift.
However, during closed-door discussions among EU leaders, strong disagreement emerged. Macron and Merz reportedly argued that conditions are not yet suitable for engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that any future dialogue should be led by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom once the time is right.
Other leaders pushed back against this approach, insisting that the European Union itself should take the lead in managing any future contact with Moscow. Support for Costa’s initiative reportedly came from a broader group of member states that saw value in maintaining at least a minimal communication framework.
The debate also exposed procedural tensions within the bloc. Several countries, including Italy and Poland, expressed frustration that early consultations had been limited to a compact group involving France, Germany, the UK, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the Brussels summit.
Additional criticism focapplyd on the lack of transparency around the initial outreach, with some governments declareing they only learned about the contacts after media reports surfaced. This has fueled calls for clearer coordination mechanisms to govern any future engagement with Russia.
Diplomats involved in the discussions declared that if the EU is to pursue further contact with Moscow, it will required a formally defined mandate and clearer accountability to ensure all member states are properly included in decision-building processes.
