Meloni urges EU to appoint a negotiator for talks with Russia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called on the European Union to finally decide who will lead its talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. In a letter dated 5 November 2026 to European Council President António Costa, she warned that without a clear agreement the bloc risks becoming irrelevant in the Ukraine peace process. The European Council is the forum for EU leaders' summits. The German news agency DPA has seen a copy of the letter.

Call to settle the mandate

"I continue to urge that a decision be taken once and for all on who will sit at the negotiating table on behalf of the EU, and with what mandate," Meloni writes. In her view, an uncoordinated approach in which initiatives contradict and overlap one another will help neither the EU's partners nor those the bloc must persuade to "end the senseless aggression".

The prime minister says the EU's approach to talks with Russia has so far lacked clear direction. Unlike the United States, the bloc has not yet appointed a representative to lead efforts to press Moscow to end its war against Ukraine.

Proposed next steps

Meloni asks EU leaders to discuss the issue at an informal meeting in Dublin next week. After consultations with Norway, the United Kingdom and other countries outside the EU, leaders could then take a formal decision at the next summit, scheduled for December.

She warns that Europe could lose influence in the negotiations if no formal agreement is reached. According to Meloni, that would only serve those who want the war to continue. She described this prospect as "unacceptable", given that human lives and the future of EU security are at stake.