European leaders in Dublin agreed on the composition of a joint team for peace negotiations, with vg.no reporting that the E5 group—comprising France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland—will represent Europe alongside European Union institutions.
The formal announcement followed an informal EU summit in Dublin. vg.no reported that U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led recent negotiations in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week, marking the first meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in nine months.
“Leaders decided that our European team is the European institutions and E5 from the ‘coalition of the willing’,” EU official Antonio Costa said, according to vg.no. He added, “Our position is clear: Europe’s security begins with Ukraine’s security.”
Negotiation teams shaping the talks
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy participated in the Abu Dhabi talks alongside NATO and the EU, with Poland and EU institution leaders joining for future sessions, vg.no reported.
Friedrich Merz proposed a tighter three-person team from Germany, France, and the UK, known as the E3 nations, according to NRK. Meanwhile, nrk.no said that Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre have taken on advisory roles for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
European leaders rejected Russian demands to include the broader European security architecture in the talks. Filter Nyheter reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin warned during talks in Moscow with U.S. envoys Kushner and Witkoff that any foreign military forces deployed to Ukraine would face attacks.
“This is Russia’s old game,” Merz concluded, according to vg.no. He said that Europe and the United States share a unified message: “There will be no discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no discussions about Europe without Europe.”
E5 group chosen for Europe
Why was the E5 group chosen to represent Europe?
The E5 group brings together France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland, which nrk.no notes are the five largest military powers in Europe. EU leaders selected them alongside EU institutions during the Dublin summit to present a unified front.
What did Russia demand regarding European security?
Moscow demanded a broad agreement on the European security structure before addressing details of the war in Ukraine, a requirement Andris Kulbergs described as a trap, according to vg.no.
Who led the recent diplomatic meetings in Abu Dhabi?
U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led the negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together for the first time in nine months, as reported by vg.no.