Italy has demanded that the European Union decide definitively who represents the bloc in US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine and with what mandate.
In a letter released by her office on November 5 and addressed to European Council President António Costa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni complained of a lack of coordination among the 27 member states. She said overlapping diplomatic initiatives were not helping to persuade either partners or Russia to halt what she called a senseless aggression.
Meloni listed recent meetings held in different formats, some without all member states taking part. They included talks in Miami and a meeting in Oslo attended by a senior aide to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She also cited phone calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Meloni further objected to a Berlin-format meeting planned on the margins of the European Political Community summit in Dublin on November 12, to be followed a week later by a Coalition of the Willing summit in Berlin. She added that technical meetings had been held in Brussels involving the Commission and only two member states, France and Germany.
According to the Italian leader, plans for a European presence at US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 had been left vague. European sources cited by Europa Press said no EU presence was planned there.
Meloni warned that the image of a scattered Europe was costing the bloc credibility and served the interests of those who wanted the war to go on. She insisted she was not seeking a seat for Italy in any format.
She said, though, that her government would not accept commitments negotiated without a mandate that Italy would later be bound by.
She asked Costa to put the matter on the agenda of the informal European Council in Dublin on November 13. She wants a formal decision at the December summit after consultation with the UK, Norway and other European partners.
Costa replied that he would set aside time for the discussion in Dublin. He agreed that “Europe needs to act with coherence, unity and determination”.
The Council President also reminded Meloni that he had raised the issue with leaders before, arguing that EU interests should be represented by its institutions in line with the Treaties. His answer suggested he sees the European seat going to Brussels rather than to an envoy chosen by national capitals.
Meloni has pressed for a single EU negotiator for months. In June she effectively ruled out former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi for the role, arguing it should go to someone from a medium-sized member state.
