Von der Leyen at V4 summit: what is known about the press conference claim
The Commission president’s participation in the Trenčín meeting is confirmed. The political explanation for her reported decision to skip the press conference remains unverified.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took part in a meeting with the presidents of the Visegrad Group countries in Trenčín, Slovakia, on 5 November 2026. A statement published that day by the Slovak president’s office confirms her participation. Her attendance at the summit therefore took place rather than remaining a plan.
However, a political motive for her reported decision to skip the closing press conference has not been established. A Telegram message circulated on 5 November, citing Bloomberg, claimed that von der Leyen wanted to support Donald Tusk and avoid legitimising Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s position. This is an account attributed to unnamed people speaking to the agency, not a confirmed explanation of the Commission president’s decision.
The same account offered a different explanation: it attributed to Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho remarks about a longstanding scheduling conflict unrelated to events in Poland. The original Bloomberg publication and that statement could not be independently verified. Neither the political account nor the scheduling explanation can therefore be presented here as the established reason for her absence from the press conference.
The Slovak side’s official statement describes talks that had already concluded and their outcome: a joint declaration by the V4 presidents. According to Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, it reflects the four countries’ priorities on EU enlargement, the situation in Ukraine and energy affordability. The statement does not explain the reasons for von der Leyen’s non-participation in the press conference.
Discussing EU enlargement, Pellegrini said all four presidents supported candidates meeting accession conditions without shortcuts or preferential treatment for some countries over others. He also advocated retaining unanimity for fundamental enlargement decisions, while allowing for simplification of some technical stages.
Other topics included assistance to Ukraine’s civilian population ahead of winter and securing electricity, heating and water supplies. The presidents also discussed energy prices and the European Union’s future approach to Russian energy supplies with von der Leyen. The Slovak president’s office identified these issues as part of the summit’s substantive agenda.
Primary sources
Documents and statements this story is based on.