EU picks team to lead Europe's Ukraine peace negotiations
The team combines EU institutions with five major European powers, and EU leaders will discuss Ukraine's financing at a Nov. 26 to 27 summit.
EU leaders agreed on Friday to place EU institutions and the E5 group of the Coalition of the Willing in charge of Europe's side of Ukraine peace talks, China's state news agency Xinhua reported.
Speaking after an informal meeting in Dublin, European Council President Antonio Costa said the negotiating team would act in close coordination and speak with a single, united position.
Costa said the EU has a central role in shaping Ukraine's European future, its reconstruction and its prosperity, and that security guarantees for Kyiv should be discussed within the Coalition of the Willing, working closely with NATO.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement and said the European team would include the European Council, the Commission and the E5, made up of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
Von der Leyen said Europe had chosen its own representatives and wanted to protect its interests while supporting Ukraine during the negotiations.
On further aid, Costa said EU leaders would discuss Ukraine's financing needs for next year and beyond at the next European Council meeting on Nov. 26 to 27.
The Coalition of the Willing is a group of European countries that supports Ukraine and has discussed security guarantees for the country as efforts to end the war continue.