Europe should have a seat at the table in any talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Norway’s foreign minister told POLITICO. But don’t call them a “mediator.”
Speaking as EU foreign ministers headed to Cyprus to discuss plans to potentially appoint a “special envoy” on the war, Espen Barth Eide said the Europeans need a negotiator to discuss aspects of a deal that directly concern the EU’s interests.
“I think having a European voice at the metaphorical table is right,” he said after a huddle with chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas. “My view is that Europe has some real interests of its own that in some ways coincide with Ukraine’s, but also go beyond them.”
Eide’s comments clashed with those made by Kallas, who on Thursday characterized direct negotiations with Russia as a “trap,” adding the EU should instead define its strategy toward Moscow and focus on the bloc’s “core interests.”
“I find that it’s a trap that Russia wants us to walk into … and they are already picking who is suitable to them,” she said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could be selected to be the envoy.
Eide, who was in Brussels on Wednesday to attend a meeting of the European Economic Area Council, pointed out that some of the points raised during previous negotiations led by the U.S. related to matters that only Europe can decide, such as sanctions relief or Kyiv’s path to EU membership.
“So there should be a European voice,” he argued.
But the Norwegian diplomat — who’s been deeply involved in Middle East peace efforts — said there was a big difference between Europe sending someone to represent its interests at the talks and Brussels trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
“I think there’s some confusion… Mediation means that somebody, ideally more impartial to the conflict, is trying to look for common ground,” he said. “Europeans and, in my view, also Americans should … clearly be on the supporting side for Ukraine.”
Too soon?
Talks about a potential EU special envoy to represent the bloc in talks with Russia are heating up as the U.S. has stepped back from its peace efforts, with Donald Trump’s mediators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, busy trying to broker a ceasefire with Iran.
Meanwhile, both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have endorsed the idea of having a European at the table — though both have very different ideas as to who should do the job.
After Putin floated Schröder’s name, Zelenskyy’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, mocked that idea, telling POLITICO that Kremlin-friendly French actor Gérard Depardieu or former U.S. action star Steven Seagal would equally qualified for the job.
Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha is pictured in Cernay-la-Ville, France on March 26, 2026. | Pool photo by Michel Euler via AFP/Getty Images On their way into the Cyprus gathering, European foreign ministers put forward sharply contrasting takes on whether the EU should start negotiating directly with Russia.
While top diplomats from the Baltic countries were skeptical, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot embraced the idea. “We need to seize the opportunity of the U.S. decision to pause their involvement in the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia.”
“I think that we need to take a common decision, not only identifying one person, but also what kind of content we would like to put on the negotiation table,” he said, adding it was important to have an “open discussion on the issue.”
But both Paris and Berlin have voiced caution on the idea of direct talks, with senior officials saying in recent days that while they support the idea of having a European in talks with Russia, the timing for such an appointment was not optimal.
Leaders from Baltic states have been the most outspoken, echoing Kallas’s line about a “trap” laid by Putin.
For Eide, however, the timing now does make sense given the U.S.’s lack of interest in the talks, the fact that Ukraine has carried out successful long-range strikes against Russia, and is hampering an attempted summer offensive by Moscow.
As for the job of mediating between Russia and Ukraine, it’s a separate job description, said the Norwegian diplomat.
“It’s like in court: there’s both the lawyer and the judge — both have important roles, but they’re not the same,” he said, adding that an ideal profile for a mediator would be someone impartial, likely not hailing from any European country.
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