Zelensky, Costa discuss European role

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on May 17 that he discussed with European Council President António Costa how European countries should be involved in any future negotiations on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian president said the two men also reviewed recent contacts with other European leaders and with the United States. Zelenskyy described the conversation as part of broader planning for a possible diplomatic track alongside continued fighting. He also linked the call to Ukraine’s separate push to advance its European Union accession process. ### What exactly did Zelenskyy say after speaking with Costa? Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement released by his office on May 17 that he and Costa discussed “the prospects of the negotiation process for peace for Ukraine and all of Europe.” He said he briefed Costa on his recent contacts with European leaders and “with the American side.” A key line in Zelenskyy’s account was his call for a formal European role. “We both agree that Europe must be involved in the negotiations,” Zelenskyy said, adding that it was important for Europe to have “a strong voice and presence” and that it was worth deciding who would represent Europe specifically. ### Why does the question of European representation matter now? António Costa is president of the European Council, the body that brings together the leaders of the EU’s member states, so his involvement points to a discussion about who would speak for Europe collectively rather than only through individual capitals. Zelenskyy’s statement did not name which countries or institutions should take part. The Ukrainian statement also did not say that a new negotiating format had been agreed. Instead, it described a discussion about the “prospects” for talks, the role of Europe in those talks and the need to settle representation before any future round. ### Did the two men discuss only peace talks? Ukraine’s presidential office said the May 17 conversation also covered Kyiv’s EU accession track. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for the opening of negotiating clusters and that he and Costa discussed the timetable and the communication needed around that process. The reference to negotiating clusters concerned Ukraine’s membership talks with the European Union, not talks with Russia. By pairing the two issues in the same readout, Kyiv signaled that security diplomacy and EU integration are moving in parallel in its contacts with Brussels. ### Was this a meeting in Kyiv or a phone call? The Ukrainian presidency said Zelenskyy “had a phone call” with Costa on May 17. Ukrinform and other Ukrainian outlets reported the exchange based on Zelenskyy’s public comments after the call. The distinction matters because the official readout did not describe an in-person meeting in Kyiv on that date. It described a conversation between the Ukrainian president and the European Council chief, followed by Zelenskyy’s public account of what they discussed. ### What was happening around the call? May 17 fell during another week of continued fighting and drone attacks linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s statement did not connect any specific battlefield event to the conversation with Costa, but it framed the discussion around future negotiations while hostilities continued. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that any diplomatic process must include security guarantees and external participants beyond Kyiv and Moscow. In this case, Zelenskyy’s emphasis was on Europe’s place at the table and on identifying who, exactly, would speak for it. ### What comes next? The next concrete step mentioned by Zelenskyy was on the EU side rather than on a peace summit. His office said he and Costa discussed the schedule for opening negotiating clusters and the communication needed to move that process forward. Any further detail on European participation in peace talks is likely to come from future statements by Zelenskyy, Costa, the European Council or other European leaders if a negotiating format is proposed.