EU leaders meet in Dublin still split over who speaks for Europe in peace talks

Leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states began an informal summit in Dublin on Friday, 13 November, still divided over who should represent Europe in talks with Russia, even though the United States and Ukraine have said Europeans will be brought in, AP reported. António Costa, President of the European Council, has agreed to discuss a possible EU envoy at the meeting.

Italy wants a decision now

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, has pushed for a common representative to speak with “a single, authoritative voice”. According to AP, she asked for a decision in Dublin on Friday, to be formalised in December in coordination with non-EU partners such as Britain and Norway. “There are too many different groupings discussing the issue,” Meloni said. She has criticised uncoordinated initiatives, including a call to Vladimir Putin by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Contenders and formats

In Brussels, Costa and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, are seen as the two leading contenders, and Stubb’s name has also been floated. “Americans are representing American interests. Europeans are representing European interests,” Kallas said, asking who was representing the European Union. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that the E3 group of Germany, France and Britain was “a proven format”. An E3 envoy, however, would leave out the other 25 EU countries and upset smaller states on the eastern flank, AP wrote.

Not just the EU

Micheál Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, who is hosting the meeting, said Europe needed a coherent place at the negotiating table but that it was not just about the European Union, calling for the views of Britain, Norway and Canada to be taken into account. According to an EU source, Friday’s discussion will only cover the envoy’s role, format and mandate, while specific candidates could be discussed at the December summit.

US: one person would be better

Washington is also urging Europeans to pick one representative. After talks in Abu Dhabi, Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy, said it would be a bigger achievement if Europe could identify one person to speak on its behalf. On Thursday evening Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Volodymyr Zelensky near Dublin. Afterwards, the Ukrainian president said European representatives would take part in negotiations next week: “They will have a voice.”