At first there seemed to be no agreement in sight as to who should represent Europe in the negotiations on a peace solution in Ukraine. Now the European heads of state and government have reached an agreement: The “European negotiating team for peace in Ukraine” will consist “of the institutions of the European Union and the E5,” said EU Council President António Costa after the informal EU summit in Dublin.
The so-called E5 countries are Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Poland. The EU institutions are the EU Commission and the Council of EU countries, explained Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We will support Ukraine and protect our interests,” she emphasized.
However, it remains unclear who would sit at the table in talks at the highest level with US President Donald Trump, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Compromise solution for the negotiating team
The EU's principles and position in the negotiations are known "and our European team will continue to act in close coordination and in complete unity," said Costa. Europe must "speak with a clear and united voice in all discussions that shape the future of Ukraine and the security of our continent," he warned. The EU plays "a central role in the discussions about Ukraine's European future, its reconstruction and its prosperity."
The discussion about who should sit at the negotiating table for Europe had recently gained momentum in light of the US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia. While smaller member states and the EU institutions spoke out in favor of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas or EU Council President Costa, member states such as Germany and Italy wanted to send negotiators to the negotiations themselves. The solution via the E5 states and the EU institutions is likely to be an attempt to meet both of these demands.
Russian Foreign Ministry dampens expectations
Meanwhile, the expectations of European countries are being dampened by the Russian side. According to spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry has no knowledge of an agreement on future participation of European states in the Ukraine negotiations.
Even before the European negotiating team was announced, she said: "As far as the Russian Foreign Ministry is aware, this issue was not discussed during the talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow." She was responding to a request to comment on a corresponding announcement from Washington.
US negotiator Jared Kushner had previously announced after a night meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that both warring parties had agreed to include the Europeans in the next round of negotiations. Before the conversation with Zelensky, Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff negotiated with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
However, according to the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, no representative of the Foreign Ministry took part in the meeting. According to the agency, only Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky and negotiator Kirill Dmitriyev accompanied the president. In Dublin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the latest, apparently contradictory statements from Moscow as the "usual game."
