Five European leaders floated as potential negotiators with Putin

European diplomats have approached five leaders about potentially representing Europe in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as capitals seek to avoid being sidelined in any settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.

The five names under consideration are Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to diplomatic sources.

The push comes after US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21. The Kremlin subsequently said Russia was in principle prepared to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States in November. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed such talks could take place by early November, though no date has been set.

Europe has yet to agree on a negotiator. European Council President António Costa turned down the role at a recent EU leaders' meeting, while German Foreign Minister [VERIFY NAME] faced criticism over his bid to lead the effort.

Diplomatic sources suggest a group of leaders may be more viable than a single envoy, as this could reduce competition between countries and the risk of individual candidates being vetoed.

Witkoff has confirmed that the US Treasury held discussions with Putin's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev on potential trade and economic ties, drawing criticism from European capitals. A source familiar with the discussions said consensus on both the need to negotiate and on a common European position would need to come first.