Merz Cites E3, Five-Nation Formats as Options for Europe in Talks With Russia

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 9th European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would not oppose Europe being represented in future peace talks on Ukraine by a group of five countries – Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Poland. The remarks came as pressure grows for EU governments to settle which leaders will represent them during negotiations with Russia. According to Radio Liberty on Thursday, Nov. 12, Merz pointed to the existing E3 format, made up of Germany, France and the UK, as one that had already proven effective, while noting that a broader group of five was also an option.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “We are also partly working on this issue in the format of five countries – Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Poland. I don’t see any problem in the future,” Merz said. No final decision yet The question on who would represent the EU at the negotiating table will be settled privately among member states, the chancellor said, noting that no final decision has been made yet. In his view, securing Moscow’s agreement to joint negotiations matters more at this stage than naming specific envoys. “First of all, I expect the Russian government, the Russian president to finally agree to joint negotiations,” he said, adding that Moscow appeared increasingly willing to accept that further negotiations cannot exclude Europe. Other Topics of Interest No date or venue has been announced for the next round of trilateral talks yet, although Witkoff confirmed it will include European partners. “Whether this position will remain, we will see. Now a lot will depend on the negotiations in the coming days,” Merz concluded. Earlier on Thursday, the chancellor said that he would not rule out meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin should he attend the G20 summit in Miami in December. The Kremlin, meanwhile, signaled openness to Putin having direct contact with Merz and other EU leaders. Zelensky meets European advisers Before meeting senior US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Dublin, President Volodymyr Zelensky met national security advisers from the E4 countries – the UK, Germany, France and Italy – as well as representatives of the European Commission and the European Council. In a statement on Thursday, Zelensky said the participants reviewed recent meetings in both Brussels and Abu Dhabi. “We all view the resumption of negotiations positively,” he noted. Any path to ending the war must be realistic and pragmatic, Zelensky argued, adding that Europe must be involved “to the greatest extent possible.” European advisers from France, Germany and the UK were expected to join Zelensky’s meeting with US envoys, AFP reported earlier, citing a European diplomatic source. Europe’s place at the negotiating table Separately on Thursday, Witkoff and Kushner confirmed that Europeans would join the next round of trilateral talks after meeting Putin in Moscow. “They’re our partners, and it’s important for them to be involved,” Witkoff told CNN. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, by contrast, said that European governments first needed to decide whether they wanted peace or a continuation of the war, arguing that their actions so far pointed to the latter. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused European leaders of undermining their own calls for peace by signaling readiness to send troops to Ukraine. The move, he said, was pushing toward an “expansion of the war.” Although the UK, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission held separate consultations with Kyiv and Washington, Europe was kept out of the core negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested at the time that European officials should “stay at the hotel.” On Nov. 5, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that Europe risks becoming irrelevant in Ukraine peace negotiations unless EU leaders agree on who will represent the bloc. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.