Antonio Costa, who has led the European Council since December 2024, indicated in early May 2026 that the EU is open to engaging in discussions with Russia regarding Ukraine when the time is appropriate. His comments emphasized maintaining coordination with Ukraine and supporting existing US-led initiatives under President Trump. Costa clarified that any substantive talks with Russia would only happen at the “right moment.”

Costa acknowledged “potential” for EU-Russia dialogue but only with Kyiv’s blessing. That measured approach reflected a broader European anxiety that independent European outreach to Moscow could fragment the Western coalition or give Putin leverage to play Washington and Brussels against each other.

The EU has been the largest collective provider of financial and military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. On the diplomatic front, Brussels has largely played a supporting role, coordinating sanctions and issuing statements while Washington handled high-stakes conversations with Moscow.

As of mid-2026, no appointment of a special envoy for EU-Russia talks has been confirmed, and discussions about such a potential envoy remain speculative. No official statements document personal outreach from Costa to the Kremlin by June 2026.