"We need to speak with one voice about Ukraine, in December the EU will decide on the negotiator". Once again a letter. Once again a clear message, this time not on the economic front and not with Ursula von der Leyen as the recipient. It is to the President of the European Council Antonio Costa that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decided to write, with one objective: to put down in black and white a topic that Italy has already placed on the sidelines of the Summit of 27 October. And on which he has no intention of backing down.
"The need for Europe to speak with one voice on the Ukrainian issue cannot be postponed", is the concept that the head of government delivered to the Europa Building. Costa's reply arrived shortly. "I agree with you on the fact that Europe must act with coherence, unity and determination. I take note of your request to explore the issue in depth at the next informal meeting of the European Council in Dublin and I will dedicate some time to this discussion", were the words with which Costa certainly welcomed the Prime Minister's proposal, however remaining deliberately vague on the profile and structure of the possible negotiator - or negotiating team - of the Union. Meloni's new step, perhaps, was accelerated by the news of events.
Between Wednesday and Thursday a double meeting on Kiev took place in Brussels. American emissaries, Ukrainian envoys, NATO officials and representatives of the E3 were present. That is, Great Britain, France and Germany. That is, that format that only about ten days ago Meloni had made it known that he considered it "dead". The succession of interventions in various formats and different compositions is making the Europeans "little credible. By giving the image of a Europe that goes in no particular order we are doing nothing but the interest of those who want this war to continue", wrote Meloni. Putting on the table what could almost appear as an ultimatum: "the issue must be discussed at the informal European Council in Dublin so that the European Council in December is able to formalize a decision on the point, also after liaising with the United Kingdom, Norway and the other interested European partners". Meloni's letter is not out of context. The strengthening of the conviction of having a role in the negotiations, alongside Kiev, has put the urgency of the issue back on the community tables. So far Brussels has in fact decided not to decide, relying on a double team: an EU representative - von der Leyen's chief of staff Bjorn Seibert in the latest talks - for issues relating to the Union, the E3 format (in one case E4, with Poland, in another also extended to Italy) for the security front.
"There already exists an agreement between the cabinets of Costa and von der Leyen. When and if there will be a need to move to the leaders' level we will see, but at the moment the consensus is quite broad, it is difficult to open the question of the EU envoy now", explained a diplomatic source. Different reasoning compared to the position taken by Kaja Kallas, ready to support Meloni's reasons: "I agree with the prime minister on the fact that we should not speak with different voices", underlines the EU high representative for foreign policy. However, the dossier contains multiple issues, from the number of possible negotiators to a non-marginal procedural question: if the envoy, in the near future, signed a peace treaty, would it have to be ratified by the European Council? In the event of an affirmative answer, the EU would risk finding itself caged at the negotiating table. In short, the Italian move could open a Pandora's box.
Among the few countries to react so far is Austria which, applauding the prime minister's clarity, has announced that it will bring the issue to the next Foreign Affairs Council. Extending the E3 format in a stable manner to Poland and Italy certainly does not have the necessary consensus among the 27, especially among those countries - see the Nordics or the Netherlands - which have sent huge amounts of funding and military equipment to Kiev, also ensuring boots on the ground after a possible truce. For them only the E3 format can be bearable. However, the government is preparing to move precisely on the issue of aid. The package "will be discussed at Copasir next week. I will also propose the possibility of extending the mechanism of the aid decree" also for next year, announced Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. Pointing out: "the government will maintain the line it has followed in these 4 years". A line that, however, not everyone seems to share, starting with Matteo Salvini. And the approaching vote could further complicate things in terms of Italian support for Kiev.
