EU leaders add Italy and Poland to Ukraine peace talks team, Kallas excluded

European Union leaders agreed Friday in Dublin to form a joint team for Ukraine peace negotiations, comprising France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, EU institutions, and NATO, while declining to appoint a single special envoy. The expanded E5 group formalizes the existing negotiation format shaped by the US, which has mediated recent rounds in Miami, Oslo, Brussels, and Abu Dhabi. Italy and Poland were added despite Warsaw's warnings against Western European nations deciding for the East. The decision leaves EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas without the special envoy role she publicly sought, with European Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declining to support her. Russia has indicated willingness for in-person talks with Europeans after US envoys visited Moscow.