From the point of view of Council President António Costa, the European Union should prepare for possible talks with Russia despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Mar 17, 2026, 7:20 a.mMar 17, 2026, 7:20 a.m
It may one day be necessary to take over US President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, Costa said in an interview with the news agency network European Newsroom. According to him, this would be conceivable if Trump were to fail with his efforts or decide not to continue them.
EU Council President António Costa.Image: keystone
At the same time, Costa warned not to go it alone when it comes to contacts with Russia. At this time, Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine should not be disturbed, said the former Portuguese head of government. “For now, our main contribution is to increase economic pressure on Russia and continue to support Ukraine with all means possible.”
According to Costa, the increased prices for oil, gas and fuel do not change the EU’s strategy. “We want to make ourselves independent of Russian energy supplies and not negotiate energy prices with Russia,” he emphasized in an interview with the enr network, which also includes the German Press Agency.
Costa criticizes Orban and Zelensky
Regarding the current Hungarian blockade of billions of euros in EU financial aid for Ukraine, Costa said that the attitude of the government in Budapest was completely unacceptable. At the same time, he criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his threats against Hungary. “Of course we cannot accept it if someone – even in an emotional moment – addresses the head of government of a member state of the European Union in an inappropriate manner,” said the EU Council President.
In the dispute over financial aid blocked by Hungary, Zelensky openly threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “We hope that a person in the European Union will not block the 90 billion euros and that the Ukrainian fighters will get weapons, otherwise we will give this person’s address to our boys so that they call him and talk to him in their language,” Zelensky said. The government in Budapest saw the statements as an attempt at intimidation and blackmail.
Orban only wants to end the blockade once the conflict over interrupted Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline has been resolved. His government accuses Ukraine of preventing the pipeline from resuming operations. This leads from Russia via Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. (sda/dpa)