The Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – were particularly “angry” about Russia’s overreach, according to a European diplomat working on the issue. Several officials learned about the calls only after they appeared in media reports and were outraged by it, three other diplomats said. All spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Costa’s team briefed Germany, France and Britain – known as the E3 – and the European Commission before the calls took place, one of the diplomats said. Two other diplomats, however, said Berlin had not been warned in advance.
To be justified
The Portuguese Lourtie, who is well-known in Brussels as a businessman, addressed ambassadors from the 27 European Union governments on Wednesday when news of the calls, first reported by Bloomberg, was made public. While complaining that it was revealed to the media, he justified it by saying that they followed the direct request of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to want Europe to get involved in peace talks, according to another EU diplomat with knowledge of the meeting.
Lourtie did not confirm whether other calls would take place but promised to inform ambassadors if they did, the diplomat said.
The calls were to Putin’s national security adviser, Lourtie told the ambassadors, according to three diplomats.
Russia does not have a national security adviser, although Sergei Shoigu serves as secretary of the Security Council, Yuri Ushakov is President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide and Nikolai Patrushev serves as his influential chief strategic adviser on security policy.
