War in Ukraine: Europeans agree on negotiating team for talks with Russia

The EU heads of state and government have agreed on who should represent Europe in future talks about an end to the war in Ukraine: 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 on Friday 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. 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.