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EU leaders tussle over who to send to Ukraine, Russia peace talks

EU leaders tussle over who to send to Ukraine, Russia peace talks

A seat at the table for Europe now appears likely following comments by a US envoy who just held talks with Putin. But who will take that seat remains unclear.

European leaders are under pressure to put forward a name to represent them in Ukraine peace talks after US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that the Europeans will be present at the next meetings.

When asked by DW during the European Political Community summit in Dublin why Europe should only get one seat at the table while the US gets two, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas responded with a wry, ironic laugh ― clearly a sign of the frustration felt by European leaders about being sidelined thus far.

The summit of 47 European leaders in Dublin comes in the wake of a diplomatic tour by two Donald Trump administration advisers, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, to talks in Abu Dhabi, followed by a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The pair then hot-footed their way to Dublin to debrief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelekenskyy.

Zelenskyy and Kushner also said Thursday that Europeans would be at the table for the next talks with Russia on ending the war.

Kallas is one of the figures tipped as most likely to represent the EU in any future talks to end Russia's war against Ukraine, alongside EU Council President Antonio Costa.

In brief

European leaders are under pressure to put forward a name to represent them in Ukraine peace talks after US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that the Europeans will be present at the next meetings. The summit of 47 European leaders in Dublin comes in the wake of a diplomatic tour by two Donald Trump administration advisers, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, to talks in Abu Dhabi, followed by a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

This is the opening of the story, shared with credit to DW — Top stories. The rest of the report — with every detail — continues on the publisher’s website.

Continue reading at DW — Top stories ↗

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