Several leaders attending the EU summit in Brussels said there was no point in rushing into talks with Russia.
The comments came as an EU official announced on Wednesday that the office of European Council President Antonio Costa had “brief contacts at the diplomatic level” with the Kremlin.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said, “First of all, someone on the other side must be willing for peace.” “Unfortunately nobody wants peace on that side… There is no point in contact if the other side (Russia) doesn’t want (peace).”
“If we see some positive signals from Russia, showing that Russia is willing to start peace talks, or they are willing to have a ceasefire, then it would be better to take steps,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters. “So far I don’t see any positive signals from Russia, so my question is what do we want to achieve.”
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten also said Russia was showing no willingness to negotiate, adding that he did not believe peace talks could start soon.
He said, “We do not have such a perception at all from the Netherlands. We see that Russia has not shown any serious interest recently.”
Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said he wanted to keep the lines of communication open, no matter the level. However, he also doubted Moscow’s willingness to discuss peace.
“I don’t think that Russia, and especially President Putin, is coming to the negotiating table for a peace solution,” Stocker said.
Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed the idea of a single EU envoy to handle negotiations with Russia regarding Ukraine.