Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanded that the European Union discuss who should represent the bloc and with what mandate in negotiations related to Russia’s war in Ukraine because the current system risks undermining the EU’s credibility.
In a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, who chairs meetings of the 27 EU leaders, Meloni said they should talk about the issue at an informal summit in Dublin next week, according to a copy of the letter shared by her office.
Meloni says the current approach, which see a host of different negotiators and formats representing the bloc’s interest, is undermining the EU’s credibility.
“I am convinced that we all realize how, by projecting the image of Europe acting in an uncoordinated manner, we are simply playing into the hands of those who want this war to continue,” she wrote. “I think this is unacceptable, considering that human lives and the future of our security are at stake.”
In recent weeks, national security advisers from France, Germany and the UK took part in meetings with US and Ukrainian officials in Miami, alongside representatives from the EU and NATO. A group of Europeans then met in Oslo.
Days later, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. European officials are also currently holding meetings in Brussels with Ukrainian counterparts on post-war reconstruction and security guarantees, and a presence is expected in Abu Dhabi where Ukrainian and Russian officials are due to hold talks later this month, mediated by the US.
“What I continue to call for is that a decision be made once and for all as to who sits at the negotiating table representing the European Union, and with what mandate,” Meloni wrote. “Because proceeding in a disorderly manner, with initiatives that follow one another and overlap, will not help us — neither with our partners nor with those we need to convince to stop this senseless aggression.“
Meloni, who says she is not asking for a formal role at the table for Italy, wants the EU to be in a position to make a decision when EU leaders meet in December. “Otherwise, I fear we risk consigning Europe to irrelevance within the negotiation process,“ she said.
A spokesperson for the European Council confirmed receipt of the letter without giving further comment.