BRUSSELS — Efforts by European Council President António Costa to open diplomatic backchannels to the Kremlin could undermine the bloc’s support for Ukraine, Estonia’s prime minister has warned in the most staunch condemnation of the move yet.
In comments to POLITICO following the first day of a summit of leaders in Brussels, Kristen Michal said Russia continues to reject any realistic path to peace — and insisted any diplomacy must be led by Kyiv.
“The European Union cannot assume the role of mediator in these negotiations,” he said. “The moment the EU — or any individual country — positions itself as a mediator, it inevitably constrains its own ability to take the very actions required to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia.”
The furore comes after confirmation Costa’s influential chief of staff Pedro Lourtie reached out to a senior Russian official, in a move that raised eyebrows among countries that say they were not informed of the plan. The EU members warn Moscow is as set on its path of aggression as it was when it launched its full-scale invasion over four years ago. Russia has amped up its indiscriminate bombing of civilian sites and critical infrastructure in recent weeks.
“Suggestions that alternative channels or backdoor diplomatic tracks are needed are misguided. The objective remains unchanged: [Russian President Vladimir] Putin must ultimately accept the conditions put forward by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine,” Michal said.
“History offers a clear warning about attempts to pursue alternative negotiating frameworks with dictators. Democratic nations end up negotiating among themselves over concessions, while the dictator simply chooses from the menu of options presented to him, exploiting divisions and weakening the democratic world.”
The reaction has seen rare criticism from leaders towards Costa, who has spent the first two years of his mandate painstakingly working to broker consensus among the bloc’s countries.
Officials have insisted the outreach was entirely within Costa’s mandate. It was done in close coordination with both EU capitals and with Ukraine and no actual negotiations begun, they say.
“What we are talking about is brief contacts with no exchange on substance — diplomats doing their job,” said one EU official with knowledge of the approach, granted anonymity to speak freely. “The contacts made at this point had the mere objective of establishing a channel of communication in order to, when the moment comes, have a diplomatic channel with Russia to defend EU’s interests.”
Some leaders back the effort. In a public endorsement of the strategy, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever caught Costa as he left the building in front of reporters, saying he is “the only one who can represent us and we should send you to Moscow.”
However, Michal — whose country was once under Soviet occupation and has been among the most active supporters of Ukraine — was unequivocal.
“Europe must maintain strategic patience,” he said. “Rushed diplomacy rarely produces lasting results; more often, it produces bad ones.”
Hans von der Burchard contributed reporting.