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

Five European nations—France, Germany, the UK, Poland, and Italy—will represent Europe in upcoming Ukraine peace talks, despite Moscow's claims it has not lifted its veto on an expanded format. The decision was announced by European Council President Antonio Costa after an EU summit in Dublin. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff said Russia agreed to European participation, but the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Moscow needs to know Europeans' "true intentions" first. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed Moscow's stance as "the usual game," citing a clear agreement with the Americans for concrete talks in coming weeks. Europeans also rejected any Russian role in choosing their representatives. They prioritize a ceasefire, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warning against discussing Russia's security architecture demands.