Meloni asks EU leaders to agree who speaks for Europe on Ukraine
In a letter to António Costa, Italy’s prime minister urged leaders to coordinate diplomacy ahead of their November 13 Dublin meeting, arguing that overlapping initiatives weaken Europe’s credibility.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has asked European Council President António Costa to put the European Union’s coordination in Ukraine peace discussions on the agenda of an informal leaders’ meeting in Dublin on November 13, according to POLITICO Europe, which said it had seen her letter. Meloni argues that competing diplomatic initiatives are weakening Europe’s credibility as the bloc seeks a role in talks affecting Ukraine’s future and European security.
Reuters reported on November 5 that Meloni wants EU leaders to decide who should represent the bloc in negotiations and what authority that person would have. Reuters also reported that she wants a formal decision at a December summit, after coordination with Britain, Norway and other European partners. The Dublin meeting is where she asked leaders to discuss the issue; no representative or mandate has been selected in the reported accounts.
Why Meloni says Europe needs one negotiating voice
Meloni wrote that the question “can no longer be postponed,” according to POLITICO. She said the EU appeared “all over the place” on Ukraine and that overlapping initiatives were “undermining our credibility.” In her view, a disorganized approach would make it harder for Europe to persuade partners and those it wants to stop Russia’s aggression. Reuters reported her warning that Europe risked becoming irrelevant in peace negotiations unless it ended competing initiatives and empowered a representative to speak for the bloc.
The formats she cited included meetings in Miami and Oslo, upcoming discussions by the Coalition of the Willing and the European Political Community, and a phone call involving Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. POLITICO reported that discussions have increasingly featured the E3—Britain, France and Germany—alongside the EU, NATO and Ukraine. The range of forums forms the backdrop to Meloni’s call for a common position.
Italy’s place in Ukraine diplomacy
POLITICO reported that Italy was excluded from meetings in Miami in October and in Brussels that week, but took part in Oslo at Norway’s invitation. An Italian national security adviser attended a working dinner there; Italy participated in place of France rather than as an additional seat. Meloni said she was not seeking a negotiating-table place for herself or Italy. Reuters reported that she said Rome would not accept commitments negotiated without an EU mandate.
Italy has advocated appointing a special envoy for Russia-Ukraine peace talks over the past year, POLITICO reported, with Meloni first publicly raising the idea in January. France, Austria, Czechia and Luxembourg have also expressed support. Before the October EU summit, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani renewed the call, saying Europe needed a spokesperson able to negotiate and articulate a unified position. The December summit is the later decision point described by Reuters.
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Sources and context
- Meloni urges ‘disorganized’ EU to speak with one voice on UkrainePOLITICO Europe
- Italy's Meloni warns Europe risks irrelevance in Ukraine peace talksReuters, carried by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.