European Union leaders on Nov. 13 agreed on a team for Ukraine peace talks, European Council President António Costa said, as they held their first strategic discussion on AI and Europe’s ability to compete in the technology sector.
Costa said the team would bring together EU institutions and the “E5” countries in the Coalition of the Willing: France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. The European Council’s meeting summary described the arrangement as a proposal and said the group would help organize the EU’s contribution in cooperation with all member states.
The question of who should represent Europe in peace negotiations became a point of contention at the Dublin meeting, AP and Euronews reported. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had asked for the issue to be discussed there. Costa confirmed her request in a Nov. 5 reply. EconoTimes previously covered Meloni’s call for an EU representative and a defined mandate.
The Council said leaders considered Europe’s position in AI and the technology’s effects on society, including safety, security and trust. Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch joined the competitiveness discussion, while Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton took part in the session on AI’s social effects. Leaders also considered ways to fund AI development, build Europe’s capabilities and address dependencies, alongside access to clean energy at affordable prices, the Council said.
In a joint statement after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin on Nov. 12, Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had been represented at recent peace talks in Abu Dhabi and would remain involved. Zelenskyy said Europeans had taken part in separate formats and stressed the importance of their full representation in negotiations with Russia.
EU leaders are due to discuss Ukraine’s 2027 financing needs at their next European Council meeting on Nov. 26–27.
