Meloni asks EU leaders to agree single voice on Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to European Council President António Costa on November 5 asking that the question of how the EU can speak with one voice on Ukraine be added to the agenda of an informal leaders' meeting in Dublin, according to a letter seen by POLITICO. She said the issue "can no longer be postponed."

Meloni listed the formats used to discuss Ukraine: meetings in Miami and Oslo, upcoming talks scheduled by the Coalition of the Willing and the European Political Community, and the phone call that Finland's Alexander Stubb and Norway's Jonas Gahr Støre made to Russia's Vladimir Putin. She said the multiple forums were "undermining our credibility in handling one of the most complicated issues our nations are facing."

"I'm convinced that we all realize how, by projecting the image of a Europe that's all over the place, we're doing nothing but serving the interests of those who want this war to continue," Meloni wrote, adding that this was unacceptable given that human lives and the future of security were at stake. She also said that proceeding "in a disorganized manner, with initiatives that chase one another and overlap" would not help the bloc with its partners or with those it must convince to stop the war.

Meloni said she was not asking for a seat for Italy in any particular format. The EU has repeatedly insisted it gets a seat at the table at Ukraine peace talks, but the bloc has yet to agree on a single leader or institution to lead negotiations, POLITICO reported.

EU leaders meet in Dublin for an informal European Council on Nov. 13. A meeting of the European Political Community, which involves all EU states plus Ukraine and other allies, takes place the day before.