EU adds Italy and Poland to Ukraine peace talks team as Kallas loses envoy bid

The European Union has agreed to form a joint negotiating team for peace talks on Ukraine, adding Italy and Poland to the existing group of France, Germany, and the UK, alongside EU institutions and NATO. Leaders rejected appointing a single special envoy despite pressure from Ukraine, the US, and Russia. The decision was made at an informal summit in Dublin on Friday, expanding the E3 format to an E5. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had criticized the "disorder" of multiple voices, while Poland opposed Western European nations deciding for the East. European Council President António Costa confirmed the team, saying leaders are "fully committed" to supporting the ongoing process. The move sidelines EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who had publicly sought the special envoy role, with both Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declining to back her. The key question remains whether Russia, which has repeatedly refused to negotiate directly with European representatives, will accept this new format.