The European Union should take advantage of the "gained momentum" around the peace talks on Ukraine to renew contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in an interview with the "Financial Times".
"Wars are not ended with weapons, but with successful diplomacy. And for diplomacy to be successful, you have to negotiate and these direct channels must first be opened," Stocker said.
"There is now momentum", he added, referring to the ceasefire in Iran, which for months seemed to distract US President Donald Trump and his team from the war in Ukraine. "The situation in the Middle East… I have some optimism that if a solution is found there, the focus will shift to Ukraine."
US-led talks to end Russia's more than four-year war with Ukraine are at a standstill, prompting European capitals to debate whether to try to break the deadlock. But many leaders are deeply sceptical, arguing that the EU should step up support for Ukraine and force Putin into talks through losses on the battlefield, the Financial Times recalls.
Stocker declined to comment on who Europe might appoint to speak on its behalf to Putin, but said EU leaders needed to have serious conversations about what that person would say.
"More important than who it is is what is being discussed," he said. "I don't know if all (EU leaders) are on the same page now. But there is one position that we have always shared: that we do not support Ukraine to wage an endless war," Stocker added.
"The result must be… a just and lasting peace."
Pedro Lurti, chief of staff to European Council President António Costa, has held phone calls in recent weeks with a senior official close to Putin in "brief contacts… to open communication channels," according to an EU official.
Stocker will attend a summit of EU leaders chaired by Costa in Brussels tonight, where Ukraine will be discussed. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will address the gathering, supports the idea of Europe trying to open channels to the Kremlin. But EU diplomats expect resistance from skeptical leaders, especially from northern and Eastern Europe. A senior diplomat involved in the preparations for the meeting described Kosta’s efforts as "simply misguided".
Capitals wary of engaging with Putin also point to his insistence on pursuing his hardline goals in the conflict even as Russia’s military efforts falter.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, rejected a French proposal for a greater European role in peace talks at a meeting in Moscow in February. Russia says it remains open to talks but has made clear it expects Putin’s demands to be a starting point.
Ushakov has already said on state television that Russia still has the upper hand on the front lines. "The Europeans are clearly insisting that the war continue. They are under the completely wrong impression that the situation on the battlefield is supposedly changing in favor of Ukrainian forces, which is clearly not the case. true."
"Putin must clearly see that it is in his interest to start negotiations. That he will achieve more at the negotiating table than on the battlefield," Stocker said, adding: "It is not up to us. Putin is the one who must take the first step."
Under Stocker, who was sworn in in March 2025 as part of a three-party coalition, one of the most significant changes has been a rethinking of long-standing notions of neutrality.
"Neutrality does not protect," he said. "The world has changed, the challenge has changed. We must be better prepared… to protect ourselves. Austria will not be a blind spot in Europe when it comes to defense."
Austria has joined the French-British-led "Coalition of "willing" supporting Kiev, with Stocker defining his role as an "active observer". This includes participating in discussions on supporting Ukraine and future European security mechanisms, while remaining outside any potential troop deployments.
The Austrians must understand that "we must strengthen our armed forces, we must strengthen our defense capabilities", the chancellor stressed.