Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is Europe’s best hope of charming Russian president Vladimir Putin into a viable peace deal, a former Russian spy believes, but there is no sign yet that Putin wants to stop the Ukraine war.
“Meloni has charisma. She’s decisive and unpredictable,” said Sergei (full name withheld), who is a retired officer from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service.
“She can be reckless and Putin can relate to that … Yes. Meloni definitely interests him,” he told EUobserver.
The 27 EU leaders will discuss the creation of a high-level Russia envoy at a summit in Dublin on Friday (13 November), after Meloni complained to EU Council president António Costa that European diplomacy on Ukraine was a mess.
For the time being, at least seven officials (from France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the European Commission, the EU Council, and Nato) are representing Europe at US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine, taking place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday (10-11 November).
But the EU aims to anoint a more senior Russia negotiator or group of negotiators at its next formal summit on 17 December, amid US president Donald Trump’s new promise of an imminent peace deal.
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Trump vows ‘beautiful’ Russia deal, as EU agonises over which envoy to send to Ukraine peace talks
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