In public, leaders lined up to defend him. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the Russia contact was “understandable,” while Belgium’s Bart De Wever dismissed it as “completely normal” ― even joking to Costa in front of the cameras that the EU should send him personally to Moscow. But behind the scenes the discontent was palpable, according to nine diplomats working for nine separate national leaders at the summit. They spoke to POLITICO on the basis of anonymity due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the issue.
“Costa pulled a Michel,” was perhaps the most damning assessment from one of those diplomats, a reference to Charles Michel, Costa’s predecessor and a former Belgian prime minister, whom many leaders considered to be sub-par during his time in charge from 2019 to 2024. Michel had a reputation for overplaying his hand and attempting to set policy without consulting member countries ― exactly what Costa was being accused of here.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal went the furthest in public about the dispute, calling Costa’s move “misguided” in an interview with POLITICO, and arguing that the EU can’t be both a mediator in the conflict and a backer of Ukraine. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told Bloomberg: “I don’t think right now is the right time to start negotiations with Putin.”
Any criticism of the European Council president from governments is significant, given that his role is to act on behalf of those leaders. While in public the discontent was restrained, in private French President Emmanuel Macron and especially German Chancellor Friedrich Merz let it be known they were unhappy. One other leader was visibly angry when talking to journalists in a private meeting.
“There are issues, no doubt,” said one of the diplomats. “But we’re not at the level of Michel.” Another called Costa’s move an unpleasant surprise.
A spokesperson for Costa declined to comment for this article. His office last week insisted the outreach to the Kremlin had not been an attempt to kick off negotiations or mediate between Russia and Ukraine, but instead to contribute to opening a channel of communication so the EU is ready if and when Russian President Vladimir Putin gets serious about peace talks.