European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rejected the idea of the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, leading negotiations with Russia on her own.
This became clear at a joint press conference following the informal meeting of EU leaders in Dublin. Costa pointed out that the EU treaties distinguish between the roles of the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission when representing the Union at the highest political level.
“We decide who represents us, and we made that decision today,” Ursula von der Leyen said.According to her, the decision was made by the 27 member states and the European institutions. The statement was made in response to a question about Kaja Kallas’s position that, under the EU agreements, she also has grounds to participate in representing the Union in talks with Moscow.
Europe will send a team, not a single negotiator
After the meeting, Costa announced that Europe would be represented in the next round of talks by a team of diplomats from the European Union and five countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
“We need to bring everyone together. That is why there must be a team, and we must speak with one voice,” Costa said.Thus, the leaders chose a format that gives the leading role neither to Kallas nor to a single EU representative. The decision comes amid pressure for Europe to participate directly in talks on ending the war in Ukraine and on the future security of the continent.
US envoy Jared Kushner said that Europe would have a seat at the table in the next round of negotiations. Earlier, Moscow had insisted that European countries designate a single representative, while a number of EU governments supported broader participation by the member states.
Kallas insists on a ceasefire first
Before the meeting in Dublin, Kaja Kallas said that the existing arrangements governing the EU institutions gave her, Costa and von der Leyen grounds to represent Europe in talks related to the war and European security.
Kallas also warned that talks about the future security architecture in Europe must not precede a ceasefire and a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. In her view, discussing Russia’s demands regarding the security of the continent at this stage could divert attention from Moscow’s responsibility for the war.
Following the decision in Dublin, the composition of the European team and its specific mandate for the next round of talks still have to be determined. It has been confirmed that the EU and the five countries will participate, but no single figure has been announced to lead negotiations on behalf of Europe as a whole.
Sources: apnews.com, rte.ie, euronews.com