Mario Draghi and Angela Merkel are “equally credible and reliable” as candidates for the EU mediator role in potential negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Flavio Tosi, a Member of the European Parliament for Forza Italia (EPP), told Adnkronos: “Of course I have greater esteem for Mario Draghi, not only because he is Italian but because I know his great abilities and qualities. However, they are both equally credible and reliable.”

His comment refers to a Financial Times report saying the EU is considering the former Italian prime minister and the former German chancellor as possible EU representatives for such talks. In principle, Tosi welcomed the idea of the EU designating a single point of contact to engage with Putin. He also said that “today the only credible interlocutor is not Donald Trump,” arguing that the US president had clumsily tried to make a deal with Putin to divide Ukraine in exchange for rare earths and recently attempted to engage with Putin, who proved far more shrewd.

Tosi stressed that meanwhile “Ukraine resists” and is regaining territory previously held by Russia, and has developed Flamingo missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers, potentially reaching Moscow. “Putin negotiates because he is forced to negotiate,” he said, because after four years “he is losing a war he thought he would win in a few days: not that Ukraine defeats Russia outright, but that Russia can never win Ukraine.” He added that this outcome is due to the EU, which has responsibly continued to finance and support a European, Christian and friendly country. The appointment of one of the two figures would therefore be welcome, he concluded.