Overview
- Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni sent a formal letter to European Council president António Costa criticizing what she called overlapping and uncoordinated EU initiatives on Ukraine and calling for one EU representative with a clear mandate.
- Meloni asked EU leaders to discuss the question at the informal Dublin summit and to adopt a formal decision on who speaks for the EU in negotiations by the December European Council.
- She cited recent talks in Miami and Oslo, meetings in Brussels, and bilateral calls between national leaders and President Putin as examples that create confusion and risk serving those who want the war to continue.
- Costa replied that he would put the issue on the Dublin meeting agenda, but the EU has not yet named a single negotiator and political agreement among member states is required to create a binding mandate.
- With the United States stepping up mediation and talks in Abu Dhabi scheduled next week, Meloni warned that a failure to coordinate could weaken the EU's leverage and leave Europeans sidelined in any emerging peace process.