Meloni urges EU to agree Ukraine talks representative

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged European Union leaders to agree on who will represent the bloc in Ukraine peace talks and what authority that person will have, warning that competing diplomatic initiatives risk weakening Europe’s influence. In a letter to European Council President António Costa, Meloni asked him to put the question on the agenda of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Dublin on Nov. 13. She wants the European Council to reach a formal decision at its December summit, after coordination with the United Kingdom, Norway and other interested countries outside the EU. No decision has been announced. Meloni argued that multiple diplomatic formats and contacts without a shared direction were making Europe appear less credible. She cited several recent efforts, including meetings in Miami and Oslo and an Oct. 27 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Norway’s government said the two leaders spoke on behalf of their own countries, not Europe as a whole. The letter came amid discussions in Brussels involving Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials. A separate...