Who will speak for the EU on Ukraine? Costa backs Meloni’s unity call
Meloni has called for agreement on an EU representative and mandate. Costa backed coordination, with discussion expected in Dublin on November 13.
The European Union has yet to agree on which leader or institution should spearhead its participation in peace talks on Ukraine, Politico reports. Amid that uncertainty, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has demanded that the EU identify its representative and their mandate. European Council President António Costa backed the need for coordinated action, European Pravda also reported on November 6, 2026, after reviewing his reply.
In a letter to Costa seen by Politico, Meloni proposed adding the issue to the agenda of an informal EU leaders’ meeting in Dublin. According to the publication, it is scheduled for November 13; a European Political Community meeting involving EU countries, Ukraine and other partners will take place there the day before. This concerns preparations for a European position, not an appointment that has already been made.
Meloni argues that numerous overlapping initiatives undermine Europe’s credibility. She listed meetings in Miami and Oslo, upcoming discussions within the Coalition of the Willing and the European Political Community, and the Finnish and Norwegian leaders’ telephone call with Vladimir Putin. “I am not asking for a seat for Italy in this or that format,” she stressed, according to Politico. European Pravda’s November 5 account of her letter, citing Bloomberg, said Meloni proposed preparing to take a decision at the EU leaders’ meeting in December.
Costa replied on the evening of November 5. According to Politico’s updated report, he agreed that Europe must act with coherence, unity and determination. “The European Union’s participation must be organised in a manner that enables it to convey a clear and unified message,” he wrote. Costa also said EU interests should be represented by its institutions in accordance with the treaties. European Pravda reports that he agreed to discuss the issue in greater detail at the Dublin meeting.
The discussion is not limited to a choice between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. A separate Politico report on a possible European negotiator also mentions Costa himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. These are options being discussed, not an approved shortlist or an appointment decision. The publication quotes differing diplomatic assessments of their potential roles, including anonymous ones.
The absence of a single negotiator does not mean the EU is absent from the diplomatic process. In that same Politico report, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho pointed to the participation of von der Leyen’s chief of staff, Bjoern Seibert, in the Oslo meeting. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski backed Meloni’s call in comments to the publication and stressed the need for legitimate European representation involving its eastern and Scandinavian countries.
One source of contention was Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s joint call with Putin on October 27. According to Politico, the conversation was held in consultation with Kyiv, but the leaders were not acting as official representatives of Europe as a whole. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the lack of coordination with European countries; however, two EU officials quoted by the publication said Costa had been informed of the call in advance. These different levels of consultation are not equivalent to a common EU mandate — the question of such representation is precisely what leaders are now being asked to discuss.
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