The former EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (EVP) is criticizing the debate surrounding potential EU representatives for talks on the future of Ukraine, scheduled for Friday in Dublin. Juncker told Bild that it is entirely clear that EU Council President Antonio Costa must negotiate with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on behalf of Europe.
Only Costa can speak at the highest level on behalf of the 27 EU member states. Juncker primarily views this as a matter of protocol. He stated that he strongly supports adhering to the institutional order.
Juncker views it as a failure that the question of Europe’s voice in the negotiations regarding the future of Ukraine remains open. He now warns against further time loss due to the debate over personnel. The talks for a peace solution must be held at the highest level as soon as possible. The question of whether the negotiations take place in Switzerland or another country is secondary.
The Europeans must now credibly clearly demonstrate that they are unified. Washington will then increasingly be ready to hear the European voice. Juncker said that Russia’s willingness to compromise is still developing. He concluded that the chances for an agreement have increased in recent months.
After the EU Treaty, the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU is usually set by the European Council and unanimously by the Council of the European Union. This means that, by inverse logic, individual countries have a veto right. Currently, Antonio Costa is the EU Council President. According to the EU Treaty, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy takes charge of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Kaja Kallas holds this office. She is also one of the Vice Presidents of the EU Commission, which, as the executive body of the EU, also claims a voice in negotiations. The current EU Commission President is Ursula von der Leyen.
