EU Leaders Clash Over Who Should Represent Europe at Ukraine Peace Talks With Russia
European leaders gathered in Dublin are divided over whom to send to the next round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine, as fears grow that Washington could concede to Moscow's demands on European security.
By Vanessa Lopez ·
Pressure is mounting on European leaders to put forward a representative for Ukraine peace talks, after US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that Europeans would be present at the next round of meetings with Russia.
The question hung over the European Political Community summit in Dublin, where 47 leaders met this week. When DW asked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas why Europe should get only one seat at the table while the United States gets two, she responded with a wry, ironic laugh, a reaction that captured the frustration among European officials at having been sidelined until now.
The summit followed a diplomatic tour by two Trump administration advisers, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks in Abu Dhabi before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The pair then traveled to Dublin to debrief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy and Kushner both said Thursday that Europeans would be at the table for the next talks with Russia on ending the war.
Kallas is seen as one of the most likely candidates to represent the EU, alongside European Council President Antonio Costa. The bloc has yet to settle on a single figure, partly because many national leaders want to be present themselves. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted Europe would be there. "At the table must be sitting Ukraine, must be sitting the Europeans, must be sitting the Americans, and naturally Russia," he told reporters, though he, like many other leaders, played down the idea of appointing a special envoy.
Zelenskyy pressed the case for a lasting European role. "Not directly yet, and not yet when the Russians are at the table," he told the other leaders. "But Europeans are already involved. And we need to make sure that Europe becomes a regular part of these negotiations."
The disagreement has erupted into a public battle. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent Costa an excoriating letter last week bemoaning the lack of unity. "By projecting the image of a Europe that is in disarray, we are merely serving the interests of those who want this war to continue," she wrote. Leaders even split over their level of frustration: Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said the situation was creating a "bad mood," while Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs disputed that, saying, "I don't feel that."
Behind the dispute lies a deeper fear that the US could accept Russian demands that Europe restructure its own security, mainly through the NATO military alliance, in exchange for a seat at the table. Putin said his demands could include a commitment that Ukraine never joins NATO and even a rolling back of the alliance to remove new members Finland and Sweden. He also warned in Moscow that European troops deployed in Ukraine after a peace agreement would be "a legitimate target for us, so the war will resume immediately." Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Europe was already "in the [Russian] trap," asking: "If something is a threat to you, will you discuss your defense with the threat [itself]?"
US President Donald Trump has said publicly that he hopes for a "very big, beautiful agreement" that "might involve all of Europe," an approach Zelenskyy described as "a bit strange." Several leaders in Dublin referenced past agreements they believe Moscow has breached, including the 1975 Helsinki Accords, the 1990 Paris Charter, the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act and, most important in their view, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which forbids Russia from using force against Ukraine except in self-defense.
The rancor over the negotiating seat is also drawing attention away from what many see as the bigger battle in the EU: how to fund Ukraine as the war continues. In October, the European Commission identified a 70 billion euro shortfall in the funding it had promised for Ukraine's economy. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has opposed any further financial and military support for Ukraine, while Merz has warned he could block the EU's next seven-year budget unless member states agree to contribute.
