France, Germany drop plans for Russia summit after EU outcry

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, talks to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, second left, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, left, Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, center, and Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa, right, during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, June 24, 2021. Olivier Matthys/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to agree on a proposal by France and Germany to hold a summit soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Poland and Baltic countries said it would send the wrong message as East-West ties deteriorate.

After U.S. President Joe Biden met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on June 16, French President Emmanuel Macron said the first EU summit with Putin since January 2014 would be "a dialogue to defend our interests". He insisted the EU could not only be reactive in its diplomacy with Russia.