EU Ministers to Discuss Possibility of Direct Talks With Russia

May 11, 2026

EU foreign ministers are planning to discuss the possibility of engaging in direct talks with Russia when they meet later this month, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday, as U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine remain at a standstill.

“First, before we discuss with Russia, we should discuss among ourselves what we want to talk to them about,” Kallas told reporters. “There are, of course, a lot of questions related to our requests to Russia in order to have a stable and peaceful Europe.”

She said EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue of direct talks during an informal meeting in Lefkosia, Cyprus, on May 27-28, as well as how to prevent Russia’s “constant” attacks on its neighbors.

“We need concessions, also from the Russian side,” Kallas said.

European Council president António Costa said last week that he saw “potential” for the EU to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin if Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the idea.

“For the time being, nobody has seen any sign from Russia that they want effectively to engage in serious negotiations,” Costa said during an event at the European University Institute in Florence. 

A senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that Kyiv welcomes “more coordination on the European level,” proposing a leader who could represent the EU and apply “more pressure” on Russia.

In response, Putin said he would prefer former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder or “someone who has not badmouthed Russia” as the EU’s representative in potential talks. 

Kallas has dismissed that idea, arguing that Schröder would be “sitting on both sides of the table” as a lobbyist for Russian state firms. Germany also called Putin’s suggestion “not credible.”

AFP contributed reporting.

Read more about: European Union

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