Europe considers five leaders to negotiate with Putin over Ukraine
Photo: Finnish President Alexander Stubb (Getty Images)
European leaders are considering five politicians who could potentially represent Europe in negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.
The list of potential candidates includes:
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni;
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb;
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Czech President Petr Pavel;
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen;
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
According to the publication, the potential candidates have already been contacted about possibly taking part in the negotiations.
A source familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph that the European Union could send not just one representative to meet with Putin, but a group of leaders.
This approach could help avoid competition between countries and the risk of individual candidates being blocked. Previous attempts to agree on a single European representative have failed.
Earlier, it was reported that European governments were increasingly recognizing that they might soon have to nominate someone to hold direct talks with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
EU countries are therefore looking for a special representative to negotiate on Ukraine.
According to Politico, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has attracted particular attention among EU leaders.
Meanwhile, European Council President António Costa has refused to take part in negotiations with Putin.
