EU restores diplomatic channel with Kremlin: Costa explained purpose of contacts

European Council President Antonio Costa confirmed that the European Union has resumed limited diplomatic contacts with Russia. According to him, such a step is necessary to maintain a channel of communication and protect the EU’s interests in the future.

Costa stated this during a closed summit of the European Council in Brussels, where the topic of Ukraine was discussed without access to mobile phones. According to sources, the head of the European Council instructed his staff to establish “brief diplomatic contacts” with the Kremlin to prepare for possible future negotiation processes.

At the same time, Brussels emphasizes that at the moment this is exclusively a technical diplomatic channel, without discussing specific political issues or conditions for ending the war.

Amid the intensification of international discussions on a possible settlement of the war in Ukraine, the EU seeks to remain ready for the negotiation process, if a real basis for this appears.

The Kremlin has traditionally been skeptical about European initiatives, but Brussels is increasingly actively preparing for a scenario in which the diplomatic track could become one of the key tools for ending the war.