Poland joins European team in talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine

Dublin meeting sets the European team

Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, announced on Friday, 13 November 2026, that Poland will take part in the negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Alongside Poland, the European side includes France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as EU institutions, and Costa said the group forms the E5 within the coalition of the willing. The decision followed a meeting held in Dublin overnight from Thursday into Friday. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, envoys of US President Donald Trump, attended, as did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Representatives of Poland, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and EU institutions also took part.

What Costa told the press conference

Costa said the principles and positions of the European team are well known and that the team would keep working in close coordination and full unity. He argued that Europe needs to speak with one clear voice in every discussion shaping Ukraine's future and the security of the continent. He described the work as a joint effort of the entire team. His remarks came at a press conference after the Dublin summit, where the composition of the European side was settled.

Talks with Russia to be widened

Kushner and Witkoff flew to Dublin straight from Moscow, where both had talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the Dublin meeting, Kushner said the next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will be widened to include Europe. Tusk described the talks as trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, in which Europe's representation was being decided. The European team is therefore entering a process that the US envoys had only just taken up with the Russian leader.

Tusk on Poland's role

Donald Tusk made his remarks at a press conference on his return from the Dublin summit, which he described as an informal council without a vote. He said he was pleased and had received congratulations from many leaders. According to Tusk, virtually all participants backed the idea of the E5 format, which he listed as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland and Italy, plus the heads of the European institutions. He said this group would be responsible for the next stage of the negotiations, which he called very important for Poland.

“Poland will play a key role in this format.”

Avoiding concessions to Russia

Tusk stressed that unnecessary concessions to Russia should be avoided, and said his position was similar to many other voices in the discussion. He rejected what Putin is demanding, which he described in those terms.

“There can be no agreement to what Putin demands, namely a revision of the security architecture in Europe.”

Tusk added that any peace must be just, and that Poland would not accept changes to the European security architecture that favoured Russia.