A veteran Swiss diplomat is advocating for direct engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, echoing a strategy she believes former U.S. President Donald Trump successfully employed. Heidi Tagliavini, a former special representative of the EU for conflicts in the Caucasus and a prominent figure in Ukraine negotiations, argues that Putin’s return to the global stage necessitates a recalibration of Western approaches.
Speaking to the “Wochentaz” Tagliavini highlighted Trump’s perceived ability to understand and leverage Putin’s desire for direct, high-level communication. She specifically pointed to Trump’s invitation of Putin to Alaska, citing it as a masterful example of symbolic diplomacy that afforded the Russian leader significant global visibility. “It’s remarkable how President Trump intuitively grasped this age-old need of Vladimir Putin and skillfully used it: to speak with him on an equal footing” Tagliavini stated.
Beyond the specific example, Tagliavini emphasized the critical importance of maintaining open communication channels, warning that abruptly severing dialogue can prove premature given the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. “Channels should absolutely remain open” she stressed, acknowledging the unpredictability of current global conditions.
Tagliavini’s remarks also contain a pointed assessment of Europe’s precarious position within the ongoing Ukraine conflict. While acknowledging the EU’s role as a staunch advocate for Ukraine – a sentiment she attributed to German opposition leader Friedrich Merz – she underscored the necessity of European unity in its interactions with both Trump and Putin. She expressed concerns about the reliability of the U.S. as a European partner under Trump’s potential return to the presidency, demanding steadfast consensus among European nations.
“Europe has been declared an adversary of Moscow as supporters of Ukraine. Now unity is required, because Ukraine is about an existential question” Tagliavini cautioned. The remarks carry particular weight considering Tagliavini’s extensive experience in conflict resolution and her intimate knowledge of the complexities surrounding Russia’s involvement in Eastern Europe. Her past roles, including authoring the Tagliavini Report on the Russia-Georgia conflict and serving as the OSCE’s Ukraine representative, lend significant credibility to her call for renewed diplomatic initiatives and a unified European front.
