French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have clashed with several European partners over efforts by European Council President António Costa to establish a communication channel with the Kremlin, highlighting growing divisions inside the EU over how to approach Moscow, according to Politico.
Further reading: EU Shockwave: Costa Opens Backchannel With Moscow, Leaders Divided Over Russia Contact Strategy
The initiative, which involved exploratory contacts through Costa’s chief of staff Pedro Lourtie with Russian representatives, was defended by Costa’s team as a limited and procedural step aimed at ensuring the EU would have a functional line of communication if circumstances required it. Officials stressed that the contacts did not involve negotiations or policy discussions.
One EU official said, “The goal was solely to create a communication channel that, if necessary, would protect the interests of the EU,” underlining that the outreach was intended as a technical diplomatic measure rather than a political shift.
However, during closed-door discussions among EU leaders, strong disagreement emerged. Macron and Merz reportedly argued that conditions are not yet suitable for engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that any future dialogue should be led by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom once the time is right.
