French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized efforts by European Council President António Costa to establish contacts with Moscow during a tense late-night European Union summit in Brussels, according to Politico. According to Politico’s Friday report, the dispute exposed growing divisions within the bloc over whether the EU should engage directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and who should represent Europe in any future negotiations related to Russia’s war against Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The disagreement emerged after it became known that Costa’s chief of staff, Pedro Lourtie, had contacted Russian officials twice in recent weeks to establish a diplomatic channel with Moscow. Macron and Merz argued that the time was not right for negotiations with Putin and suggested that when such talks eventually become possible, France, Germany and the UK should take the lead rather than EU institutions. Several countries, including Estonia, Denmark and the Netherlands, supported that position, while other leaders defended Costa’s efforts and argued that maintaining communication channels serves the EU’s interests. Costa’s outreach to Moscow On Wednesday, Costa’s office confirmed that brief diplomatic contacts were made with the Kremlin in recent weeks to open communication channels, as Europe maintains that peace talks in Ukraine directly impact European security.