Europe's leaders in Dublin divided over who should speak for the EU in Ukraine talks

Dublin hosts a divided bid for a seat

About 50 European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for a summit of the European Political Community, a forum of 47 states that includes Volodymyr Zelensky. The EU's 27 leaders will meet in the Irish capital on Friday, 13 November, for an informal summit on the role the bloc should play in the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow that the United States is mediating. The timing follows a week of talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators, while European officials from the Commission, the European Council and NATO, along with national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, waited in the corridors without sitting at the table. Giorgia Meloni of Italy has voiced unease over the bloc's lack of unity, according to Europa Press.

Ireland's prime minister, Micheál Martin, told reporters on arrival that the bloc needs clear and coherent leadership in the talks, though not necessarily a single person. He declined to speculate on naming a representative but said there are 'obvious candidates', and he stressed that all 27 must agree on one coherent voice to represent the Union.

“It is not necessarily about a person, but there should be clear and coherent leadership.”

Who should speak for Europe

Emmanuel Macron has insisted on a clear vision before any name is put forward. Before leaving Abu Dhabi, Jared Kushner had said he wanted to persuade Vladimir Putin that Europeans could sit at future rounds of talks, a position Russia had so far rejected on the argument that Europeans stand with Ukraine. Kushner and Witkoff travelled from Abu Dhabi to Moscow on Thursday to discuss next steps with Putin, and were expected in Dublin that evening to meet Zelensky. Canada's premier, Mark Carney, was among the leaders Zelensky addressed in Dublin.

A charter on European security principles

A charter on key principles for European security, based on a French initiative, reaffirms the existing foundations of the continent's security and adds topics such as hybrid threats. More than 35 states stood behind the text in Dublin on Thursday, including Germany, Ukraine and Spain, while a draft seen by Reuters pointed to around 40 states backing it, with the final total not yet settled. The draft says that any question touching European security must be decided together with the Europeans, and that the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided together with Ukraine. The charter is to be adopted at the European Political Community summit. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arriving in Dublin that morning, put the aim in plain terms.

“It is important that we Europeans stand together.”

Merz also sees the E3 group of France, Germany and the United Kingdom as having the next move on Europe's role in the talks.

Money and the Abu Dhabi talks

The European Commission estimates that Ukraine faces a funding gap of about 70 billion euros in 2027, of which the EU is to cover about 45 billion, and a final decision on new aid is due at a special summit at the end of November.

Estimated 2027 financing gap70

EU planned share45

Estimated 2027 financing gap

70 billion euros

EU planned share

45 billion euros

Data from the article text

Zelensky described the Abu Dhabi talks as serious and not without substance, pointing to the largest prisoner exchange between the two sides agreed so far. He warned Europeans to watch closely, arguing that when the Americans and Russians discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, the real subject is new security frameworks for Europe and Russia, an approach his side finds rather odd. He said the Russian negotiators had made clear that Moscow would take no de-escalation steps in Ukraine, and he recalled last winter, when he said Putin had used natural gas as a weapon.