EU discusses envoy for possible talks with Putin, Finnish president among candidates, Politico says
The EU has yet to decide who would represent it in possible talks with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. Politico reports that Finnish President Alexander Stubb is among the names being discussed by European diplomats.
Source: Politico, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The question of finding an EU representative has become particularly pressing this week after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Russia. There, he proposed a trilateral summit involving Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to secure a ceasefire.
"President Putin disregards the European Union as an authority. He doesn't want to talk to Ursula von der Leyen, he doesn't talk to Kaja Kallas. He stopped talking to other European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron," Czech President Petr Pavel said. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]
He added that the EU needs to appoint a person or group of people to speak on behalf of Europe. They would not necessarily have to be representatives of the EU or NATO, but could simply be leaders granted a mandate by others to conduct negotiations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has negotiated directly with Trump on trade, while European Council President António Costa previously established a channel of communication with the Kremlin through his office. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is another potential figure who could represent Europe's interests as a whole.
"We cannot show up with two or three people all speaking on behalf of the EU. The choice of who ends up representing the EU will be based on what would provide the most value, not personal power struggles or narcissistic preferences," an EU diplomat told Politico on condition of anonymity.
According to Politico, one name attracting attention outside the EU's institutional framework is Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Two key factors work in his favour: he arguably has the closest relationship with Trump among EU leaders, and Finland has decades of experience dealing with Russia. The two countries share a 1,300-kilometre border and have fought wars against each other in the past.
"Stubb is of interest because of Finnish knowledge of and traditional dialogue with Russia. They know more than anyone on our side [about] what it takes to feel secure in such a situation," the source said.
Another EU diplomat said Stubb was the only person to have come forward so far who has demonstrated high-level political leadership and who could serve as a European envoy at a future peace summit.
Background:
- On 21 October, following his meetings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Witkoff said discussions on ending Russia's war against Ukraine will continue in the form of trilateral talks at technical level.
- Axios reported that following the talks in Oslo and St Petersburg, both the Ukrainian and Russian sides agreed to resume trilateral negotiations involving the US with the aim of ending the war.
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