European Union leaders should settle who can speak for the bloc in possible Ukraine peace talks, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, arguing that competing diplomatic channels are weakening Europe’s credibility, Reuters reported Thursday.
Meloni set out the proposal in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, Reuters reported. She wants EU governments to agree on a representative and define the authority that person would carry. Her concern is that separate negotiating formats make the bloc appear disorganized and less credible in diplomacy.
Meloni said the proposal was not a bid to give her or Italy a place at the negotiating table. Reuters reported that Meloni ruled out accepting commitments reached outside an EU-authorized process.
Ukraine’s presidential office said discussions in Oslo on Oct. 20 covered security guarantees and proposals to end the war, according to EconoTimes’ earlier coverage.
She asked leaders to take up the question at an informal European Council meeting in Dublin next week. She proposed that leaders finalize the arrangement in December, after discussions with Britain, Norway and other partners, Reuters reported.
