Immediately before the start of two important summits, the conservative family of parties in Europe is urging for the swift appointment of an EU Chief Negotiator for future Ukraine peace negotiations. Manfred Weber, Chairman of the European People’s Party (EVP) and CSU, told newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday editions) that they require a strong European voice that forcefully represents their interests, clearly siding with Ukraine and possessing the necessary experience to succeed in these negotiations.
Weber, who is also the EVP parliamentary group chairman in the European Parliament, explained that Europe will only be taken seriously at the negotiating table if it acts collectively. He stressed that this is fundamentally about European security interests, stating that disagreement weakens them, while unity gives them weight.
The question of who should represent Europe in the event of serious Ukraine peace negotiations has been a long-standing topic within the EU. Recently, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanded the appointment of a Chief Negotiator.
Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the USA met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday for discussions, with some Europeans also involved. The summit of the European Political Community is scheduled to take place in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, on Thursday. On Friday, EU heads of state are set to gather at the same location for an informal meeting. Both summits are expected to address security in Europe and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
