FT reported on the discussion of Merkel and Draghi's candidacies for the post of negotiator with the Russian Federation

The European Union (EU) is discussing the candidacies of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi for the role of representative in possible negotiations between Russia and Europe. This was reported by the Financial Times newspaper on May 20.

"EU governments are discussing whether former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi or former German Chancellor Angela Merkel could represent the bloc in potential talks with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," the article says.

The authors of the article note that discussions of the candidates will take place at the Cyprus meeting of EU leaders next week. If these candidates are not approved, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, or his predecessor in this post, Sauli Niinisto, are being considered in Europe.

Kiev distance: Russia is waiting for a change in the EU's approaches to the Ukrainian issue

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On May 18, Merkel, speaking to reporters, refused to mediate during negotiations on Ukraine between Russia and the EU. In her opinion, only current heads of state and government can participate in such negotiations, since negotiations with Moscow require intermediaries with real "political power."

The Politico newspaper wrote on May 18 that the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, would not be able to mediate in possible contacts with the Russian Federation — she actually excluded herself from the list of candidates because of her anti-Russian position.