European Union Not Seeking to Mediate Ukraine War, EU Council President Says

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 15, 2026. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

The European Union won’t mediate discussions between Ukraine and Russia in any future negotiations to end the now-five-year-long war between the two countries, European Council President Antonio Costa said June 19.

“The European Union is not—and we do not intend to be—mediators,” Costa said during a press conference in Brussels after a European Union leaders’ summit. “We have been with Ukraine through the war and we will be with Ukraine after the war.”