‘You could even have a TV show about it’: Europe struggles to choose its representative for Ukraine peace talks

The United States, Russia, and Ukraine are broadening the scope of their trilateral peace talks to include Europe, according to U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff. He stated that European representatives will join the next meeting, emphasizing the importance of their partnership in the peace process. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed no objection to European participation but hinted at a need for Russia to assess the intentions and readiness of the European participants before confirming their involvement.

The identity of Europe's representative for the talks remains uncertain, with three main contenders emerging from the EU's summit in Dublin. European Council President António Costa is seen as the most acceptable candidate due to his mandate from the European Council and his experience as Portugal's prime minister. However, some EU leaders, including Estonia's Prime Minister Kristiina Oms, find Costa's candidacy problematic due to the lack of direct accountability to EU member states.

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, is another contender, but her extremely hard-line anti-Russian stance has led many to consider her unsuitable. Lastly, a non-EU institution, the E3 grouping of France, Germany, and the UK, is also in contention. While France and Germany are unlikely to agree to a scheme giving Brussels a monopoly on representing Europe's interests, they desire a more prominent role in the process, which would be difficult to achieve if an EU representative becomes the lead negotiator.