The President of the European Council, António Costa, has established contact with the Kremlin in an effort to engage Russian leader Vladimir Putin in discussions on ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported this, citing sources familiar with the situation, Ukrinform reports.
According to the anonymous sources, Costa's top adviser called a senior Russian official close to Putin twice to lay the groundwork for more substantive talks in the future.
Costa's spokesperson declined to comment, while Putin's spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
"We need, at the right moment, to have talks with Russia to address our common issues on security," Costa told journalists last month.
