EU forms E5 team for Russia peace talks

The European Union agreed Friday at the Dublin summit to form a team to represent it in potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to European Council President Antonio Costa. The "E5" group—France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Poland—will join European Commission and Council representatives in the team, confirmed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Costa stressed that only Ukraine is legitimate on territorial and sovereignty matters, while the EU will handle reconstruction and security guarantees in coordination with NATO. Individual negotiators were not announced, and the Kremlin said Friday it has not yet accepted European participation, awaiting "true intentions." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed this as typical Kremlin behavior, while Costa called the coming weeks a decisive test of Russia's willingness to end the war.