EU Leaders Discuss Choosing a Single Representative for Ukraine Peace Talks
At an informal summit of European Union leaders in Ireland, discussion is expected on picking one person to represent the EU in peace talks on Ukraine. Member states are divided, so no decision is forecast this week.
European Union leaders meeting informally in the Irish capital today are expected to discuss whether to select one person to represent the bloc's position in upcoming peace talks on the war in Ukraine. The question has gained urgency as US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have resumed, with growing emphasis on a new, broader European security architecture for the post-war period.
Member states disagree. Some believe the EU can be represented by European Council President Antonio Costa or by Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for foreign and security policy. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, by contrast, argues that a designated representative is needed to avoid «confusion» when various EU diplomatic bodies and individual leaders act in the bloc's name. In a letter to Costa, she wrote that uncoordinated action hands cards to those who want the war to continue, and that Europe must speak «in one authoritative voice». She also stressed that she is not demanding that the role go to Italy. Because of the disagreements, no decision is expected this week.
Europeans waited in the corridors
At this week's Russia–Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, attended by US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, no EU representative sat in the negotiating room. National security advisers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom had travelled to the city, along with representatives of the offices of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. According to a European diplomat quoted by RFE/RL, they waited in the corridors and received briefings from the US side.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday in Denmark that he wants Europeans to agree on a top-level representative or a small group, hoping for a deal by the end of November, ideally at the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Germany on 19 November. Kushner said identifying one person would be a greater achievement than getting Russia to include Europeans in the talks.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told AFP he opposes appointing a special envoy, arguing that Costa and Kallas already hold the relevant mandates. He dismissed the claim that Kallas is too outspoken a critic of Russia.
Euobserver.com forecasts that leaders may begin debating the structure and mandate of a representative or team today, while nominating specific candidates may be left until the December summit.
