EU President Signals Readiness for Russia Dialogue at ‘Right Moment’

Speaking at a ‘Europe Day’ celebration in Brussels on Saturday, May 9, European Council President António Costa emphasized that the EU will only engage in direct talks with Vladimir Putin at the “right moment” to avoid disrupting President Donald Trump’s diplomatic initiative. The remarks follow reports suggesting the EU was preparing for immediate peace talks. While EU officials acknowledge that speaking to Moscow is an “existential issue” for European security, they maintain there is currently no evidence of Russian willingness to engage in a just peace. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied European Council President Antonio Costa and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google The EU will only talk to Vladimir Putin at the “right moment,” António Costa, the president of the European Council, told reporters on Saturday. The remarks appeared to clarify comments he made last week, when he said there was “potential” for EU-Russia peace talks and that Ukraine had given the EU its support for engaging in them.  The Financial Times  framed  his remarks as suggesting the EU was preparing for such potential talks. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . “We need in the right moment to have talks with Russia to address our common issues with security”, the EU president said on Saturday,  repeating something  he said as far back as March. “We don’t want to disturb the initiative led by President Trump,” said Costa at a ‘Europe Day’ celebration in Brussels, describing the EU as waiting but “ready to do what we need to do” regarding Europe’s security. An EU official said Costa’s comments last Thursday were fully consistent with his previous line. “There will be a moment when the EU will need to speak to Russia because it’s an existential issue for Europe. Now it’s not the time,” the official said.  ‘Special representative’ to negotiate with Putin? EU leaders have long been discussing the merits of nominating a single European as a ‘special representative’ to negotiate with Putin – though enthusiasm about the idea  had cooled of late. Other Topics of Interest Russia Unveils Jet-Powered ‘Geran-5’ Missile During Hardware-Free Victory Day During a scaled-back Victory Day that featured no physical military hardware on Red Square, Russia debuted its new “Geran-5” cruise missile via video broadcast. According to Defense Express, the jet-powered missile is a “low-cost” alternative modeled after the Iranian Karrar, featuring a 90 kg warhead and a range of 1,000 km. Analysts warn that the Geran-5, which utilizes a mix of Chinese and Western components, poses a new threat to Ukrainian air defense due to its 600 km/h speed and its ability to carry R-60 or R-73 air-to-air missiles to intercept defenders. “We can see the merit of having one single figure speaking on behalf of the 27,” said Arianna Podestà, deputy chief spokesperson for the European Commission, suggesting perhaps that Ursula von der Leyen should take on that role. Podestà said there was no interest from the Russian side in reaching a peace agreement. The EU’s diplomatic service has reiterated its full support for the US-led talks with Moscow – despite the EU having no role in them. “There’s no willingness from Russia at all to engage seriously in any earnest effort, starting with ceasefires, or even having a just and fair peace. So our view is the focus now is on the US-led peace process, and to make sure that becomes as robust … as possible,” said a high-ranking EU official. On Friday, Trump said that there would be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine. See the original report from Eddy Wax here. Euractiv is a European news website focused on EU policies. It was founded in 1999 by the French media publisher Christophe Leclercq. The website's headquarters and central editorial staff are located in Brussels, with offices in Paris and Berlin.