Estonia’s President triggered a backlash from the government of one of the European Union’s biggest Russia hawks by declaring his support for direct talks between the bloc and Moscow.
Alar Karis said in an interview with Euronews this week that the bloc’s policy of cutting off dialogue with Moscow has cost it a seat at the negotiation table as the US seeks to broker an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At a press conference in Tallinn on Thursday, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said direct talks with Russia were “inappropriate,” adding that “only pressure works in Russia’s case.”
As US President Donald Trump pushes ahead with talks, the absence of a European voice has become more conspicuous. It’s reopened debates within the bloc about direct communication with Moscow, with France calling for a special envoy to Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron’s top diplomat travelled to Moscow this week.
“There’s some idea that the European Union is not at the table,” Michal said, pointing to failed attempts by France and Germany to convince President Vladimir Putin to end his war, which led the bloc to cut off contact with the Kremlin. “I can tell you that the European Union is constantly at the table – we are at the table with Ukraine,” he said.
While Karis holds a mostly symbolic post, the backlash to his suggestions reflects widespread unease with the idea of reengagement with Russia. It’s become a taboo in the three Baltic nations on Nato’s eastern flank, which have tense relations with Moscow and are among Ukraine’s staunchest allies.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina echoed Karis’ comments at the World Governments Summit published on Wednesday. In a press conference the same day, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene criticised European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius’ comment that dialogue with Putin was inevitable.