Brussels, March 17, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Council president said that, "in the future", the European Union (EU) will have to "dialogue with Russia" for peace in Ukraine, but stressed that this would not happen yet and would not be related to energy supply.
"Our relations with Russia are not on the agenda, but in any case, I believe that, in the future, we will have to dialogue with Russia. Not about energy, but about European security and peace in Ukraine," António Costa said.
In an interview with Lusa and other news agencies within the framework of the European Newsroom project before a European summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday on economic competitiveness, including in energy, the European Council president stressed, "That moment will come one day, but it will not be now".
These statements by António Costa follow those of Belgium's prime minister, Bart De Wever, in interviews published last weekend, who said that EU relations with Russia may have to be normalised and that energy supplies at lower prices could be restored if such a dialogue improves.
Saying that current approaches (such as military support for Kyiv and community sanctions) have not yet been enough to force Moscow to end the war against Ukraine, Bart De Wever said that, without the full support of the United States, the only viable option would be to "make a deal" with the Kremlin (Russian presidency).
"At this moment, we must avoid disrupting these efforts led by President [US, Donald] Trump to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, but it is necessary to be prepared because one day President Trump may decide not to pursue his efforts, or one day, unfortunately, he may fail in his efforts," Costa said.
In that scenario, in the European Council leader's opinion, the EU "will have to prepare to continue efforts to try to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine".
At the moment, "our main contribution to this is to increase economic pressure on Russia and continue to support Ukraine by all means, but a time will perhaps come when we will have to replace President Trump's efforts and make our own efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," he said.
Costa also recalled that "the EU strategy consists of decoupling itself from Russian energy", despite the current energy crisis stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has sharply reduced oil and gas imports from Russia to cut revenues that finance the war in Ukraine.
Before the war, in 2021, around 45% of the EU's gas imports and around 27% of its oil came from Russia, while in 2024 those imports fell to around 13% and 2%, respectively.
The United States has been acting as a mediator in this conflict by organising trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, proposing structured peace plans that include ceasefires, security guarantees, and verification mechanisms, and facilitating diplomatic coordination among European allies and other global actors.
Despite these efforts, progress has been limited due to Russian resistance.
The EU and Ukraine have reiterated the need for clear conditions for a peace agreement, such as a prior ceasefire and respect for Ukrainian territorial integrity.
ANE/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
