EU must choose who represents it on Kyiv, mustn't act separately - Chigi sources

(ANSA) - ROME, 27 OTT - The European Union must choose who represents it on the Ukraine war and members can't afford to act separately like Finnish and Norwegian leaders who telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin in the name of their nations and not Europe, Palazzo Chigi sources said Tuesday while stressing that Premier Giorgia Meloni thought highly of the two European leaders. The phone call with Putin involving Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St›re—who "were quick to clarify that they spoke on behalf of their respective nations, not on behalf of Europe"—demonstrates the need to "designate, as soon as possible and through a consensus-based process, one or more individuals with a clear mandate to speak for Europe., the sources said. This is essential, they said, to "best safeguard its interests and security." They said that Meloni holds "great respect" for both leaders, who "head nations that border Russia and have consistently supported Ukraine." However, the sources added, "negotiations will not wait: Europe cannot afford to lose any more ground. It must decide who represents it—and it must do so quickly. "It cannot continue to act in a disjointed fashion, using formats that shift from week to week; otherwise, it risks a progressive loss of influence in the negotiation process." Meloni is reportedly on a shortlist of five figures being considered for the role of the EU's negotiator with Russia in talks to end the war in Ukraine, The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday, citing diplomatic sources. The other figures on the shortlist are Finland's President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the British newspaper said. (ANSA).
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