June 17, 2026
Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency
The office of EU chief António Costa has had "brief" diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin to open channels of communication, Brussels said Wednesday, as Europe debates whether to talk to Russia about ending the Ukraine war.
"In the past few weeks, brief contacts at diplomatic level were made to open communication channels but nothing was discussed on substance," an EU official said on condition of anonymity.
Discussions on Europe re-engaging with Moscow have become louder amid deadlocked U.S. efforts to halt the war in Ukraine while President Donald Trump's attention has been consumed by Iran.
