BRUSSELS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Europe is expected to be part of the negotiating team in the next round of Ukraine peace talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday in the Irish capital of Dublin, as U.S. officials reported an agreement to broaden the negotiations.
The announcement followed the Nov. 10-11 trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi. European representatives held separate consultations with Ukrainian and U.S. officials but did not participate in the direct talks with Russia.
WHERE EUROPE STANDS IN UKRAINE PEACE EFFORTS?
In Dublin on Thursday, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement after meeting Zelensky, welcoming renewed momentum in the peace process.
They pledged continued financial and military assistance, reconstruction planning and support for Ukraine's EU accession to strengthen Kyiv's negotiating position.
Differences remain over key security issues. Putin reiterated his opposition to deploying European troops in Ukraine after a peace agreement, while European leaders have stressed the need for credible security guarantees.
WHAT ROLE EUROPE PLAYS IN NEXT ROUND?
After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said European representatives would join the next round of talks.
Following talks with Zelensky in Dublin, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said in a social media post that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to expand the next round to include European partners. He said this would allow discussions on broader post-war European security arrangements alongside territorial issues.
Moscow has not publicly confirmed European participation in the next round. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had urged European countries to decide whether they wanted peace or the war to continue.
Ushakov said Russia was ready to discuss a new European security architecture, reiterating Moscow's long-standing demands for an end to NATO enlargement and restrictions on military deployments near Russian borders.
Zelensky urged European countries to choose their representatives this month. "We need to do it in November, because we count that negotiations will continue," he said.
WHO WILL REPRESENT EUROPE?
Several EU officials have institutional responsibilities for external representation, but member states remain divided over who should take the lead.
Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University, told Xinhua that the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, as well as the EU's foreign policy chief, are legally entitled to represent the bloc in different capacities.
Costa and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are among the figures most frequently mentioned in discussions about representation. Von der Leyen also has responsibilities in areas within the Commission's remit.
EU leaders have yet to agree on a single lead negotiator or a common arrangement for representation, although existing officeholders already have responsibilities under the EU treaties.
Costa has gained support from several EU capitals. Kallas, however, faces reservations from some diplomats over her hawkish stance on Russia, which they believe could complicate negotiations with Moscow, according to Politico.
France and Germany are reluctant to relinquish their own representation in favor of a single EU representative. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday described the involvement of France, Germany and Britain, known as the E3, as a "well-established format."
Fabrice Leggeri, a French member of the European Parliament from the National Rally, questioned whether Costa or Kallas could speak for Paris, pointing to France's permanent UN Security Council seat and nuclear capabilities, Politico reported.
WHY EUROPE STRUGGLES TO SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE?
The disagreement reflects bigger differences over national interests, political authority and the limits of European integration.
James Fichter, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, said Europe does not exist as a polity, making it difficult to develop a common political outlook.
While EU institutions provide a framework for coordination, national governments retain considerable authority over foreign and security policy. France and Germany's reluctance to give up their own negotiating positions illustrates the difficulty of translating European cooperation into a unified political stance.
Besides, a common European negotiating role must also accommodate non-EU partners, including Britain and Norway.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for greater unity in a letter to Costa, reported by the media. She warned that competing negotiating formats were weakening Europe's credibility and creating the impression that it was proceeding in "random order." ■
