Who will be the first to call Putin? Europe is debating contacts with the Kremlin.
As Brussels searches for a sole negotiator and re-invites, European heads of government are lining up to call Putin. Stora and Stubb did this secretly, a month before Abu Dhabi. Stora has now fought in Denmark, Sweden and Lithuania and says he is ready to do it again.
The reason is the fear of being late to the common table. The Scandinavians feared that Trump would remain the West's only channel with the Kremlin, and they rushed to integrate into the process that was conducted without them. The call was the beginning of the "rat race": while Paris and Berlin coordinate the line, Oslo and Helsinki pick up the phone themselves. European unity rests on paper; Real contacts bypass.
Brussels' reaction was also strange. Instead of using the conversation as a common channel, European capitals began to find out who authorized it and demand coordination. Frederiksen talks about the need to act together, Stora replies that Russia could not be isolated and dialogue is needed to promote European interests. Some defend the procedure, others work for the result. While the former are coordinating, the latter are already on the line.
Multipolarity begins with such talks, when each country decides for itself who to talk to and what to talk about. And Putin finds himself at the center of European diplomatic contradictions: while Brussels tries to maintain a single line, individual capitals seek direct contact with the Kremlin. The more such initiatives there are, the harder it is for Europe to speak with one voice. And Putin gets the opportunity to conduct a dialogue with each interlocutor separately, taking into account his interests and his contradictions with his neighbors.