European Union foreign ministers meeting in Cyprus on Thursday (May 28) will discuss how to approach any possible future talks with Russia, as Ukraine pushes for Europe to play a role in negotiations with Moscow and with the U.S. focused on the war with Iran.

The EU has pursued a policy of isolating Russia since ‌Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It has imposed sanctions and had few high-level political and diplomatic contacts with Russia.

But with U.S.-led talks to end the conflict making little progress and the war now in its fifth year, some European officials have said the EU should be ready for when the time comes to hold talks with Moscow.

European ministers are expected to discuss their preconditions for any possible talks and what Europe would aim to achieve if the bloc decided to enter negotiations.

Arriving for the meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc should not fall into a Russian trap discussing who would represent Europe in possible future talks and that negotiations are a team effort.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahnka said Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t want to talk anything” so the EU had to focus on how to make European opposition strong.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday (May 27) that Putin was open to negotiations with Europe, the RIA news agency reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has in recent weeks publicly called for diplomacy to be reinvigorated and for Europe to become part of the process.

Talks in Cyprus will also focus on the Middle East with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud attending the meetings.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

EU foreign ministers meet in Cyprus to discuss Russia strategy, Middle East

VIDEO SHOWS: EU AND COUNTRY FOREIGN MINISTERS ARRIVING AND BEING GREETED BY CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER / COMMENTS BY MINISTERS AND EU'S KALLAS ON RUSSIA /SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVING

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: LIMASSOL, CYPRUS (MAY 27, 2026)(EUROPEAN UNION – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF KAJA KALLAS ARRIVING

2. KALLAS AND CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER CONSTANTINOS KOMBOS STANDING OUTSIDE VENUE

3. (SOUNDBITE)(English) EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, ‌SAYING:

"I find that it's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them when they're already picking who is suitable or who is not. Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiations is always a team effort, you have good cops, you have bad cops, you have strategy on how you go to the table so that's why the substance is much more important than who".

4. VEHICLES ARRIVING AT VENUE (MUTE)

5. (SOUNDBITE)(English) ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MARGUS TSAHKNA, SAYING:

“So everybody is talking about who will be the person who is going to talk to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin but the reality, as you know, is Putin doesn’t want to talk anything so he is putting more pressure on Ukraine, we see every night attacks, crazy attacks against Ukraine people, so we need to focus on how can we make the European opposition strong and we have lots of decisions to make.”

6. VARIOUS OF SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER JOSE MANUEL ALBARES ARRIVING AND POSING WITH KALLAS AND KOMBOS

7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER JOSE MANUEL ALBARES SAYING:

“Russia has no will at all for peace, for ceasefire, for negotiations, therefore we must be prepared to continue backing Ukraine for as long as it takes to make sure that they will continue being a free and independent country.”

8. VARIOUS OF SAUDI ARABIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL-SAUD ARRIVING AND POSING WITH KALLAS AND KOMBOS (MUTE)

9. VARIOUS OF FINLAND'S FOREIGN MINISTER ELINA VALTONEN ARRIVING AND POSING WITH KALLAS AND KOMBOS

10. PEOPLE ENTERING VENUE (MUTE)