Costa says Russia’s willingness to make peace faces test

European Council President António Costa said Russia’s willingness to make peace would be tested in the period ahead, speaking at a meeting of European leaders in Dublin on Thursday, Dutch news agency ANP reported.

Costa said Europe’s priorities were first a ceasefire, then concrete progress in the Black Sea, followed by work on the conditions for a peace agreement. He said Moscow had so far focused on escalation and attacks on Ukrainian civilians, and that this would have to change for peace to be possible.

His remarks followed two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi. Russia and Ukraine announced plans for a large prisoner-of-war exchange, but the talks ended without a major breakthrough on ending the war, according to the Associated Press. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky described the exchange agreement as being in principle; the numbers had yet to be finalised.

Medinsky said he felt the talks had brought the two sides closer to peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the proposed exchange but said Ukraine would not give up Russian-occupied territory in return for peace.

Europe’s role in negotiations also remains unsettled. European officials were in Abu Dhabi but did not join the three-way talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European representatives could eventually participate, while criticising their current statements as unhelpful to peace efforts.

Costa had previously called for greater pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire while pledging continued EU support for Ukraine. ANP reported that EU leaders would discuss a possible EU representative to the peace talks in the coming days, with Costa’s name among those mentioned.