Costa establishes contact with Kremlin to involve Putin in peace talks — Bloomberg

Bloomberg reported this, citing sources familiar with the situation, Ukrinform reports.

According to the anonymous sources, Costa's top adviser called a senior Russian official close to Putin twice to lay the groundwork for more substantive talks in the future.

Costa's spokesperson declined to comment, while Putin's spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

"We need, at the right moment, to have talks with Russia to address our common issues on security," Costa told journalists last month.

Several EU member states have proposed appointing a special envoy for talks with Moscow as the bloc seeks to play a role in achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia. However, the idea remains controversial and politically sensitive. Putin has, for example, suggested former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible candidate, despite his long-standing ties to the Kremlin through his work with the Russian energy company Gazprom.

Meanwhile, Germany, France, and United Kingdom — Europe's three largest economies — have separately discussed strategies for engaging Putin in peace negotiations in coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

European officials believe current conditions could create opportunities for a negotiation process, as Russian forces face challenges on the battlefield while Ukraine increases strikes against military targets inside Russia.

According to one source, senior EU officials are working to develop a common position as the war enters a new phase and are preparing for a period of more intensive communication with the Kremlin.

Relations between the EU and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire as a basis for peace negotiations. Although direct engagement with Russia was long considered politically unacceptable in Europe, the situation has evolved since U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a negotiating track with Putin last year. European leaders are now seeking to ensure that they have a place at the negotiating table, given that any settlement of the war in Ukraine would have major implications for European security.

As previously reported, President Zelensky stated that Ukraine remains willing to engage in talks with Russia but will not surrender its territories.