Who will sit opposite Putin on behalf of Europe? Politico: The search for a candidate continues

The discussion accelerated after the visit of US special envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. He met with Putin in St. Petersburg, presenting proposals for ending the war and returning to negotiations with the participation of the US and Ukraine.

European governments fear that the arrangements between Washington and Moscow, concluded without their participation, could ignore European interests and weaken Kiev's position.

Who could represent Europe?

Czech President Petr Pavel supported giving a mandate to one person or a group of negotiators. In his opinion, these would not have to be representatives of the EU or NATO, but people authorized by European leaders.

The European Union should appoint a person or group of people who would speak on behalf of Europe and receive a mandate from other leaders to conduct negotiations, he said.

The advantages of Alexander Stubb, one of the potential candidates, are good relations with US President Donald Trump and Finland's experience in contacts with Russia. In addition to him and Antonio Costa, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, are also mentioned.

Some diplomats, however, believe that Costa could be a more acceptable intermediary for Moscow. However, he himself was to emphasize during last week's EU summit that he did not intend to talk directly with Putin for now.

The European Commission emphasizes that the EU is participating in preparations for possible negotiations. The talks in Oslo with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, the USA and Europe concerned, among others, territorial issues, security of Ukraine and its post-war reconstruction. It has not yet been agreed who would represent Europe in direct talks with the Kremlin.