Calls for direct talks have prompted debate among the bloc's 27 member countries about who, if anyone, should represent the EU.Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images

Senior European Council official opens communication channel with Kremlin – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

A member of European Council President António Costa’s cabinet reached out to open a channel of communication with the Kremlin, an EU official told POLITICO.

The direct outreach — a break with a de facto EU policy of not speaking directly to Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — comes as European leaders debate opening direct talks with Moscow about ending the war.

The contacts, which the official said happened in recent weeks, were described as brief and unrelated to “substance,” but reflective of the fact that the EU has “specific interests that will need to be defended.”