Macron and Merz disagree with EU on Putin contact
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized European Council President António Costa over attempts to open contacts with Moscow during a tense late-night EU summit in Brussels, according to Politico.
According to Politico’s Friday report, the dispute exposed growing divisions within the bloc over whether the EU should engage directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and who should represent Europe in any future negotiations related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, News.Az reports, citing Kyiv Post.
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The disagreement emerged after it became known that Costa’s chief of staff, Pedro Lourtie, had contacted Russian officials twice in recent weeks to establish a diplomatic channel with Moscow.
Macron and Merz argued that the time was not right for negotiations with Putin and suggested that when such talks eventually become possible, France, Germany and the UK should take the lead rather than EU institutions.
Several countries, including Estonia, Denmark and the Netherlands, supported that position, while other leaders defended Costa’s efforts and argued that maintaining communication channels serves the EU’s interests.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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