Five European nations to represent EU in Ukraine peace talks despite Kremlin doubts

Five European nations—France, Germany, the UK, Poland, and Italy—will represent Europe in upcoming Ukraine peace talks, despite Moscow's claims it hasn't lifted its veto on an expanded format. The decision was announced by European Council President Antonio Costa after an EU summit in Dublin. While US envoys claimed Russia agreed to European participation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Moscow needs to know Europeans' "true intentions" first. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed this as "the usual game" from the Kremlin. Europeans insist on a ceasefire before discussing Russia's security architecture demands, which they view as a distraction. They also fear potential surprises from the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting in China, with Merz urging the US president to "stay on the Europe and Ukraine team."