Ukraine envoy row hijacks EU leaders’ first AI summit

EU leaders gather in Dublin on Friday to discuss artificial intelligence for the first time, but tensions over who should represent Europe in Ukraine peace talks are set to dominate the agenda.European Council President António Costa has put AI on the leaders’ agenda for the first time, at an informal summit in Dublin on Friday. The informal format suits the subject. With no political statements to adopt at the end, leaders can speak more openly.“The President had already thought of putting this discussion on the agenda of the European Council. It’s not always easy. Sometimes it gets overcrowded by current events,” an EU official said, asking not to be named.That is precisely what has unfolded. The summit was meant to focus on AI, but the question of who should speak for the EU in the Ukraine talks has taken over.Peace envoyUkraine reached the agenda after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to Costa warning that the multiple formats in which the EU is engaging in the talks made it “less credible”. She called for a clear mandate to take part in the negotiations.Costa agreed to add the item and appeared to put himself forward for the job, noting that “the European Union’s interests need to be represented by its institutions, in accordance with the Treaties.”He already has support.