Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called on the European Union to clearly and solely designate the individuals who will represent the bloc at the negotiating table regarding Ukraine. In her view, the current practice of engaging multiple formats and representatives simultaneously undermines trust in the EU as a unified actor. She stated this in a letter to the President of the European Council, urging the avoidance of "chaos" in the negotiation process.
Letter to the Head of the European Council
In her message to the President of the European Council, Meloni emphasized that the current approach—involving many different formats and representatives—weakens Europe's position. The key thesis of the letter is formulated directly: "By projecting an uncoordinated image of Europe, we are simply playing into the hands of those who want this war to continue," wrote the Italian Prime Minister. Thus, Rome is raising the question of the need for a single mandate and a single person who will speak on behalf of the EU.
Duplication of Initiatives and "Format Chaos"
According to Meloni, such duplicated initiatives do not help stop the aggression, so the bloc must decide once and for all who exactly and with what mandate will represent the EU at the negotiating table. The Italian Prime Minister links the lack of a unified line to a risk for the negotiation process itself: the more parallel tracks there are, the harder it is to build a coherent position and the less trust the parties to the conflict have in Europe.
Context: Oslo, Brussels, and Phone Calls
Meloni's call comes amid active diplomatic activity in recent weeks. As noted in the letter, security advisors from France, Germany, and the UK have participated in meetings with US and Ukrainian officials, as well as held talks in Oslo and Brussels. Furthermore, the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Norway held a phone call with Vladimir Putin. It is this set of parallel contacts that, according to Rome, creates an impression of incoordination.
Dublin and the December Summit
To resolve the issue, Meloni proposed discussing it at an informal summit in Dublin, and taking the final decision on defining the negotiators and their mandate to the meeting of EU leaders in December. Thus, Italy is proposing a specific mechanism and timeline: first, an informal discussion in Dublin, then a formalized decision at the level of heads of state and government.
The Turkish Track and a Possible Meeting Between Zelenskyy and Putin
Meloni's statement fits into a broader context of attempts to organize peace talks. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his intention to hold talks with Vladimir Putin on ending the war against Ukraine following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. There were also reports of the possibility of the first face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin in Turkey since 2019, which the US also planned to join. Against this backdrop, Rome's call for a single EU negotiator looks like an attempt to streamline the European track before possible key contacts.
