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The EU is considering appointing a special envoy to open formal negotiations with Putin on Ukraine. Angela Merkel, former German chancellor, and Mario Draghi, former president of the European Central Bank and former prime minister of Italy, are emerging as the leading candidates. This was reported by The Financial Times.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his predecessor Sauli Niinistö have also been mentioned. "I think it should be someone from a country like the Netherlands or Portugal, who does not have the baggage that countries in the east do," a European official told the newspaper.
Putin himself previously mentioned former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible mediator, but that idea was radically rejected by the EU. Schröder is known for his close ties to Moscow: after his political career, he became a lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies, among other things.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue at a meeting in Cyprus next week.
The initiative comes after U.S.-led peace talks have stalled due to Russia's intransigent territorial demands. Europe fears being sidelined in any settlement. Washington has indicated that it has no objection to Europe engaging with Putin in parallel.
Zelensky supports European involvement and has expressed a preference for someone of the caliber of Draghi or a sitting head of state. Merkel herself said Putin would probably only take acting leaders seriously, suggesting that others might be more suitable.
The initiative faces significant obstacles: there is deep division among EU member states, in addition to skepticism about Putin's willingness to dialogue. A previous (failed) attempt by France left officials "humiliated". Moscow has hinted that it prefers direct contacts with a major European power rather than with the EU as a whole.
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