Some EU leaders furious at Costa official's calls with the Kremlin
European Council President António Costa's chief of staff Pedro Lourtie held two calls with Moscow, sparking outrage among Baltic states and other governments that were not informed beforehand.
European Council President António Costa's chief of staff, Pedro Lourtie, has contacted Moscow officials twice in recent weeks as the EU explored ways to restart negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The outreach has caused a furious backlash among several EU governments, particularly the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which were not informed about the calls, according to five diplomats familiar with the matter.
Lourtie briefed EU ambassadors on Wednesday after Bloomberg first reported the calls, justifying them by saying they followed a direct request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Europe to engage in peace negotiations. He told the ambassadors that he had spoken to Putin's national security adviser, though Russia officially has no such position—the role is effectively held by Sergei Shoigu, Yuri Ushakov and Nikolai Patrushev.
Costa's team had informed Germany, France and the U.K. (the E3) and the European Commission before the calls, one diplomat said, but two others claimed Berlin had not been pre-warned. Several leaders learned about the calls only through media reports and were angry about the lack of transparency.
The incident highlights deep divisions within the EU over how to approach peace talks with Russia. The E3 format is pushing to lead negotiations, claiming they agreed this with Zelenskyy during a meeting in London earlier in June. Poland and Italy also want a role. Meanwhile, EU institutions argue that any contacts with Moscow should be conducted by a body representing all 27 member states.
The dispute risked overshadowing the EU summit in Brussels, which opened on a positive note after the signing of a provisional U.S.-Iran peace deal. Next week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin, where discussions are expected to include dialogue with Russia.
