5 European Leaders Floated as Potential Negotiators With Putin

Five European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, are being considered as potential negotiators with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Europe seeks a bigger role in efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Other names under consideration include Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, The Telegraph reported on Oct. 23, citing diplomatic sources.

European diplomats have approached potential candidates about the role, according to the report.

The debate comes as US President Donald Trump pursues direct engagement with Putin, raising fears in European capitals that Washington and Moscow could shape a peace deal while leaving Ukraine’s European allies on the sidelines.

Europe Seeks a Greater Role in Peace Talks

“There first needs to be a consensus that we need to negotiate with the Russians,” a source familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph. “Secondly, there needs to be a consensus on what that position is.”

Trump’s efforts to broker a deal have made little progress, largely because Moscow has refused to abandon its maximalist territorial demands in Ukraine.

On Oct. 21, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin subsequently said Russia was prepared in principle to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US in November.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also confirmed that trilateral talks with the US and Russia could take place by early November, although no date has been set.

The planned talks come as Washington faces criticism for pursuing economic cooperation with Moscow alongside peace negotiations. Witkoff has confirmed US Treasury discussions with Putin’s economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, on potential trade and economic ties.

No consensus on who should represent Europe

Europe has yet to agree on a negotiator. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul faced criticism over his bid to lead the effort, while European Council President António Costa turned down the role at a recent EU leaders’ meeting.

A group of leaders may be more viable than appointing a single negotiator, one source told The Telegraph, as this could reduce competition between countries and the risk of individual candidates being vetoed.

The question of a European envoy is not new. In June, Meloni backed Stubb as a potential representative in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Stubb and Pavel among potential candidates

Stubb has played a prominent role in European efforts to support Ukraine during the diplomatic process and maintains a close relationship with Trump. He joined Zelensky and Witkoff for talks in Oslo on Oct. 20.

The Finnish president has also argued that pressure on Moscow is necessary to bring it to the negotiating table. In August, he said Ukraine’s long-range strikes inside Russia could help push Moscow toward peace talks.

Pavel, a former head of NATO’s Military Committee, has also emerged as a potential candidate because of his military background and experience with NATO-Russia relations.

Europe needs to appoint a person or group authorized to speak on its behalf, Pavel told the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, of which The Telegraph is a member.

“President Putin disregards the European Union as an authority,” Pavel said, adding that Moscow has stopped engaging with several senior European officials and leaders.

Pavel has argued that negotiations could help prevent further escalation between Russia and the West. He has also suggested that the prospect of renewed trade and business ties could encourage Moscow to negotiate, while sanctions relief should depend on Russia agreeing to a ceasefire and a peace process.

Putin proposes Schroeder as mediator

Putin said in May that he would “personally” prefer Schroeder, who served as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005, to help restart dialogue between Russia and Europe.

The proposal was met with skepticism in Berlin. German government sources told AFP that officials had “taken note” of Putin’s comments but viewed them as part of “a series of bogus offers” from Moscow.

Schroeder has remained close to Putin since leaving office and held senior positions linked to Russian energy interests, including roles involving the Nord Stream gas pipelines and Russian oil company Rosneft.

He gave up his Rosneft board position in 2022 but has never publicly condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

His potential appointment has divided Germany’s Social Democratic Party, which Schroeder belongs to.

Michael Roth, a former SPD lawmaker who chaired the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, told Tagesspiegel that a mediator “cannot be Putin’s buddy.”

Any candidate must first be acceptable to Ukraine, Roth said. “Neither Moscow nor we can decide that on Kyiv’s behalf.”

Other SPD politicians have been more open to the proposal. The party’s foreign affairs spokesman in parliament, Adis Ahmetovic, told Der Spiegel that it should be “carefully considered” with European partners.

Kallas says Russia must not choose EU negotiator

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on May 11 that Russia should not influence the EU’s choice of negotiator.

“If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, that would not be very wise,” she said.

Kallas described Schroeder as a “high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies,” arguing that Putin wanted someone who would effectively be “sitting on both sides of the table.”

She also warned that Russia was seeking to expand its influence in Europe, citing Russian participation in sports organizations and at the Venice Biennale.

“Our adversaries are not sleeping,” Kallas said.

For now, Europe has no agreed negotiator and no unified position on when direct talks should begin.