Foreign ministers from across the European Union gathered in Cyprus on Thursday for an informal meeting dominated by a single, fraught question: how should the bloc engage in direct talks with Russia? The consensus was clear — the debate over who should serve as the EU's special envoy is a distraction that Moscow is actively encouraging.
“I find that it is a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable and who is not. Let's not walk into that trap,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She implicitly referenced the Kremlin's suggestion of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a figure widely ostracised in European politics for his close ties to Vladimir Putin and his lobbying for Russian energy firms.
Kallas emphasised that the substance of any negotiation matters far more than the individual leading it. “Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy on how you go to the table. So that is why the substance is much more important than who,” she explained. She has circulated a confidential paper outlining concessions and expectations for Russia in any settlement, advocating a “maximalist” stance to counter Putin's own maximalist demands.
When asked if she would take on the envoy role herself, Kallas laughed it off. “I am the High Representative of the European Union, and you can read my job description in the treaties,” she said. “We need to be united, and that is a very important message, that we need to work together as Europe, not as individual members separately. Because individually we are all much, much weaker than we are all together.”
A United Front Against Kremlin Tactics
Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard echoed the call for caution, warning the EU not to be “distracted by men who want to make history.” She stressed that the bloc should not rush to the negotiating table on Russia's terms. “Instead, we should make sure to put more pressure on Russia and increase the support to Ukraine, and thereby change the calculus to have them really want to come to the negotiation table (and) achieve peace, because that is what we want,” she told reporters.
Tom Berendsen of the Netherlands argued that the “most crucial thing” is for the EU to have a “clear mandate” before appointing any envoy. Spain's José Manuel Albares highlighted the need to speak with “one voice” to avoid a cacophony of 27 member states. Belgium's Maxime Prévot urged the bloc to seize the moment: “We need to seize the opportunity of the US decision to pause (its) involvement in the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia. It is so important to be at the table and to act, not only to watch.”
Italy's Antonio Tajani, whose country was among the first to advocate direct talks with Russia, insisted it would be “impossible to sign a (peace) agreement without Europe.” The debate has gained momentum after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Europeans to take a hands-on role, frustrated by the White House's focus on the Middle East. Among the names floated for the high-risk job are Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Council President António Costa, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen acknowledged Stubb's qualifications but cautioned that discussions are still at an early stage. “I foresee this will be a long process,” she said, tempering expectations of a sudden breakthrough. The informal meeting in Cyprus is intended to bridge divisions among member states ahead of a summit of EU leaders in mid-June.
Looming over the debate is Russia's recent large-scale attack on Kyiv and explicit threats against foreign diplomats there, which sparked widespread outrage. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who attended the meeting, urged the EU to focus on “precise, doable steps” that complement the US-led peace process, such as releasing civilian detainees, demilitarising the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and establishing humanitarian corridors. The EU's challenge, as Kallas and others made clear, is to avoid internal squabbling and present a united front — exactly what Moscow hopes to undermine.
