European foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas called on Europeans to first agree on what they want to talk about with the Russian leadership and only then determine who will lead the negotiations. She made the statement in Brussels on February 10, amid discussions about resuming dialogue with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
This was reported by DW.
“Let's first discuss what we want to talk about with the Russians before we think about who will talk to them,” Kallas said in an interview with journalists from several media outlets.
According to her, in the coming days, the EU will develop a vision of what is needed to achieve long-term and sustainable peace. After that, the corresponding list will be transferred to the EU member states.
On the same day, French President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to European newspapers. He confirmed that he had sent his diplomatic advisor to Moscow in early February to prepare direct contacts with the Russian leadership.
“What have I achieved? Confirmation that Russia does not want peace now. But above all, we have restored these channels of discussion at a technical level,” Macron said.
He plans to share this experience with European partners to build a “well-organized European approach” to dialogue with the Kremlin. Macron has opposed handing over this function to Washington, which is already negotiating with Russia.
The idea of resuming direct contacts with the Kremlin was supported in the Baltic states and the Czech Republic. At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “uncoordinated individual steps.” In his opinion, all European efforts to end the war should be coordinated within Europe, as well as with Ukraine and the United States.