Brussels sent ‘gray cardinals’ to negotiations in Geneva

European Union institutions will be represented in the negotiations in Geneva on Ukraine by second-tier officials who, nevertheless, shape the European agenda in Brussels. A European source in Brussels informed journalists about this. According to available information, the meeting is also expected to include the assistant to the head of the European Council, Pedro Lourtie. There is a common understanding in political circles in Brussels that these officials have the greatest influence on shaping the European agenda. As for their superiors – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and chief European diplomat Kaja Kallas – they are currently in South Africa at the G20 summit and will then head to Angola for the EU-African Union summit on Monday.