Italy's Meloni warns Europe risks irrelevance in Ukraine peace talks


FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

ROME, Nov 5 (Reuters) - ⁠Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said ⁠on Thursday Europe risked becoming irrelevant ‌in any Ukraine peace negotiations unless it ends competing diplomatic initiatives and agrees on a single ​representative empowered to speak on ⁠its behalf.

• In ⁠a letter to EU Council President Antonio ⁠Costa, ‌Meloni says proliferation of different negotiating formats is making Europe less ⁠credible and giving the impression it ​is proceeding ‌in "random order"

• Says she is not ⁠seeking a ​place at the negotiating table for herself or Italy, but Rome will not accept ⁠commitments being negotiated without an ​EU mandate

• Calls for EU leaders to decide who should represent the bloc in ⁠negotiations and what mandate that person should have

• Asks for the issue to be discussed at an informal European Council ​in Dublin next week, ⁠with a formal decision to be taken ​at a December summit ‌following coordination with Britain, ​Norway and other European partners

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer, editing by Gavin Jones)

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