European Council President António Costa could represent Europe in negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said this ahead of the start of the summit of the European Political Community in Dublin.
“Costa has the relevant mandate from the leaders of the member states,” Nausėda said. However, he acknowledged that European countries have different approaches to the question of who should speak on behalf of Europe.
“Of course, I know that there are different approaches, and in my view Friday will be an excellent opportunity to discuss this and perhaps find more complex formulas for representation,” the Lithuanian president added.
The issue will be discussed by EU leaders
The topic is also expected to be raised at the informal meeting of European Union leaders in Dublin on November 13. According to information from “Interfax-Ukraine,” which cited an EU spokesperson, the leaders will discuss Europe’s role in the negotiation process, but no agreement on appointing a single special representative is expected to be reached in the coming days.
The debate intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on European countries to choose a single representative for future talks. “We need to choose who will represent Europe,” Zelensky said in Dublin, stressing that Europe must participate directly in all discussions about the continent’s future security.
Background to the discussion
The meeting of the European Political Community brought together leaders from more than 40 European countries in the Irish capital. Zelensky also took part, while the main topic was Europe’s security amid new efforts to revive negotiations to end the war.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet with Zelensky in Dublin after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. This comes after two days of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, which ended with an agreement on a major prisoner-of-war exchange but without a visible breakthrough on the conflict’s main issues.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also insisted that Europe clarify who speaks on its behalf. She warned that the numerous parallel diplomatic formats and different European voices weaken the continent’s position in negotiations on Ukraine.
Sources: apnews.com, euronews.com, en.interfax.com.ua