Europe's search for a Ukraine negotiator stalls as leaders warn of irrelevance

European leaders are struggling to agree on a single negotiator to represent them in Ukraine peace talks, a failure that Italian Prime Minister Meloni warns risks making Europe irrelevant in the process. The issue is being discussed at a summit in Dublin with Ukrainian President Zelensky and NATO chief Mark Rutte. Russia has refused to include European representatives in direct negotiations, which took place in Abu Dhabi, while US envoys Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet Putin in Moscow before briefing Zelensky. European leaders fear the US and Russia will make unfavorable deals without their input, but internal divisions persist over strategy and who should lead. A Finnish-Norwegian initiative to call Putin drew mixed reactions, with Denmark and Sweden favoring a unified, firm approach and Estonia rejecting mediation entirely. The US envoy Kushner mocked Europe's disunity, and no breakthrough is expected in Dublin, with Zelensky saying progress depends on US pressure on Russia.