EU leaders reject Russia's bid to fold Europe's security into Ukraine peace talks

European Union leaders said Friday that Europe's security structure should not be part of Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, rejecting Russian calls for broader security talks while failing to agree on who should represent Europe in future discussions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated there would be no discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine, or about Europe without Europe, dismissing the need to discuss European security architecture. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned Russian proposals risked diverting attention from achieving a ceasefire, while Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs called such discussions "a trap." Forty European countries signed a declaration in Dublin stating that matters affecting European security require European involvement. Leaders remained divided on representation, with Merz citing existing EU structures and the E3 format of France, Germany and Britain, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized that the substance of talks matters more than the configuration of participants.