The office of European Council President Antonio Costa has initiated preliminary diplomatic contact with the Kremlin in recent weeks, an EU official said on Wednesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, characterized those exchanges as "brief" and limited to the diplomatic level. According to the official, there were no substantive discussions during these initial contacts.
Officials in Brussels framed the outreach as a measure to ensure the European Union has direct communication channels in place. The EU official explained that the Union has specific interests that would need to be defended under any future scenario, and that establishing lines of diplomatic contact is therefore important.
At the same time, the official was careful to underline that the EU is not positioning itself as a mediator in the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine. The official reaffirmed that the Union continues to support Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.
On coordination, the official said President Costa has been working closely with European leaders in recent weeks to discuss whether and how to engage with Russia, and to identify the subjects that should be raised when the appropriate moment arrives.
The official account provided no further detail on the timing, participants, or locations of the contacts, nor on the precise nature of the "specific interests" referenced. The characterization of the dialogue as brief and non-substantive indicates the exchanges so far have been limited to opening lines of communication rather than negotiations or policy talks.
This reporting is based on the EU official's description and did not include additional comment from Russian authorities or other EU institutions. The official's request for anonymity means some particulars of the contacts remain undisclosed.
Clearer, substantive engagement would require further steps and public confirmation, and the official account suggests those steps have not yet occurred. For now, Brussels has established a diplomatic contact mechanism while maintaining its stated position of supporting Ukraine and not taking on a mediator role.