The Telegraph reported that Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and Norway's Jonas Gahr Støre are also on the list, and that the potential negotiators have already been approached, citing diplomatic sources.
The discussion gained momentum after US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg on 21 October, Politico reported. According to The Telegraph's sources, Europe must first reach a consensus on whether talks should happen at all and on a negotiating position. One option under discussion is a group of negotiators rather than a single representative, which would avoid internal rivalry and the risk of a veto on individual candidates.
Politico named Stubb as one of the most likely representatives, saying European diplomats describe him as having the closest ties to Donald Trump of any EU leader. Finland also shares a long border with Russia. Stubb took part in a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Witkoff in Oslo. Pavel previously chaired NATO's Military Committee and has taken part in talks with Russian military officials.
European Council President António Costa, whom European leaders had pushed to make contact with the Kremlin, according to Politico, declined the role of negotiator. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are, in the words of one Politico source, too openly supportive of Ukraine to represent the EU effectively.
In an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, Pavel said Putin does not regard the European Union as a credible participant in negotiations. According to Pavel, the Russian president does not talk to von der Leyen or Kallas and has stopped communicating with other European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron.
Pavel said European countries need to designate one or more representatives with a common mandate to negotiate with Moscow. He said they need not be EU or NATO chiefs. Politico's sources stressed that Brussels considers it important to take part in the talks on behalf of the whole European Union rather than through individual national leaders.
Putin has previously named former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible mediator. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Russian president also proposed a meeting with Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war. The format he proposed did not provide for the participation of Kyiv or the European Union.
In an interview with Bild, Pavel criticised the agreement on supplies of Russian diesel fuel that Trump announced on 9 October. The Czech president said the deal, covering at least 300,000 tonnes of fuel for the US and global markets, gave Moscow a chance to ease economic pressure.
Pavel also described Russia's economic situation as difficult and said losses in the Russian army exceed its capacity to replenish personnel. He criticised European countries for delays in supplying weapons to Ukraine.