Rutte backs discussion of EU negotiator with Russia, declines to name names

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has expressed support for discussions about appointing a European Union negotiator for dialogue with Russia, but declined to comment on specific names.

This was reported by RIA Novosti.

At a press conference in Brussels, Rutte commented on rumors about the possible appointment of former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to the role, but avoided giving a direct answer.

“Draghi is a close friend of mine, but I’m not going to comment on who should take this position. I think the EU first needs to decide what role it will play, whether it wants to play any role at all, and then, if the answer is yes, there should be a discussion about who could play that role,” Rutte said.

On May 18, RIA Novosti reported that information appearing in the media about Draghi’s possible nomination as an EU negotiator amounted to journalistic speculation.

Earlier, the newspaper Politico wrote that three politicians could be candidates for the role of European Union negotiator in dialogue with Russia: former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and incumbent Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Prior to that, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas was rejected in Europe for the role of negotiator with Russia.