EU Splits Into Three Camps Over Who Should Represent Europe in Ukraine Talks
A member of protocol adjusts the EU and Ukrainian flags prior to arrivals for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Dec. 19, 2024.
European leaders agree that the bloc should have a seat at the negotiating table but remain divided over who should speak on its behalf, according to media reports.The disagreement has exposed at least three competing positions within the EU.The first group supports European Council President António Costa, whose institutional role gives him a mandate to represent EU member states. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the leaders of Luxembourg and Poland have expressed support for his candidacy.The second camp, led by France and Germany, is reluctant to give Brussels exclusive control over European representation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended the E3 format involving Germany, France, and the UK as a framework for diplomatic negotiations.The third group backs EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. However, her strongly anti-Russian position has raised concerns among some European diplomats about whether Moscow would accept her as an interlocutor. Others argue that her position makes her a suitable representative.The disagreement comes amid renewed diplomatic contacts between Russia, the US, and Ukraine, including negotiations in Abu Dhabi and the meeting between Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.European leaders are expected to discuss the issue at their November 13 summit in Dublin, although a formal appointment of a representative is considered unlikely.
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