European Council president reaches out to Kremlin in bid to start Ukraine peace talks

Europe just knocked on Russia’s door. António Costa, president of the European Council, has initiated contact with the Kremlin through his senior adviser, who held two preparatory phone calls with a Russian official tied to Vladimir Putin. The goal: testing whether there’s any realistic path to peace talks on Ukraine.

The outreach, reported on June 17, represents the most concrete step by a top EU leader toward direct engagement with Moscow since the war’s early phases. Neither Costa’s representatives nor Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov have commented publicly on the calls.

What we know about the back-channel

Costa didn’t pick up the phone himself. Instead, his senior adviser conducted two calls with a notable Russian official described as close to Putin. The conversations were preparatory in nature, meaning they were designed to feel out whether substantive peace discussions are even possible.

Costa has been laying the rhetorical groundwork for this for months. He has repeatedly stated that the EU must eventually engage Russia on shared security concerns, while noting the timing hasn’t been right for formal discussions.

Europe’s messy internal debate

The EU has maintained a united front on military aid and political support for Kyiv, but member states remain divided on how to engage with Moscow. Some have pushed for appointing a special envoy to facilitate talks with Russia. Others view any outreach as premature or dangerous.

A parallel track is running through Europe’s largest capitals. Germany, France, and the UK have been coordinating separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on their own engagement strategy.

Costa’s position as European Council president gives him a unique institutional perch. He represents the collective voice of EU heads of state, which theoretically gives his outreach more weight than any single country’s diplomatic effort.

Why now, and what’s driving the shift

Several factors appear to be pushing both sides toward at least exploring negotiations. Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine have been limited. Ukrainian forces have also conducted military operations inside Russian territory. Additionally, Western sanctions have forced Russia to restructure large swaths of its economy, creating cumulative economic strain on Moscow.

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