European Political Community Summit Opens in Dublin on Ukraine
More than 50 European leaders gather in Dublin on Thursday for the ninth European Political Community summit. Ukraine, security, energy and competitiveness top the agenda, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet U.S. envoys after Abu Dhabi talks ended without a breakthrough.
The European Political Community summit opens in Dublin on Thursday, November 12, with more than 50 European leaders expected to discuss Ukraine, continental security, economic competitiveness and energy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet U.S. envoys there after two days of Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough.
It is the ninth gathering of the forum, which was created in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It brings together the 27 European Union member states and countries outside the bloc.
Ireland hosts the meeting at the Convention Centre Dublin. European Council President António Costa and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin co-chair it. An informal meeting of the EU's 27 national leaders follows on Friday, the European Council said.
Ukraine talks in the background
The Abu Dhabi discussions, mediated by the United States, produced an agreement in principle on a large prisoner-of-war exchange. They announced no settlement on territory, security guarantees or Europe's role in any future arrangement.
U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff plan to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Dublin to see Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has argued that Europe must be involved throughout diplomatic efforts on the war.
European leaders have said discussion of the continent's security architecture must follow a ceasefire. They also say Russia should not dictate European security arrangements. Moscow has opposed a direct European role in the U.S.-mediated format.
The summit cannot impose terms on either side, and it is not a formal peace conference. Its value is as a common venue for Ukraine, EU leaders, non-EU European states and NATO representatives while U.S. diplomats report back.
Agenda and security concerns
The official theme is "Europe – strong, secure and connected." The European Council says leaders will address building a competitive Europe through innovation, connectivity and affordable energy, and securing and defending democratic Europe.
The group first met in Prague in October 2022. Its format includes EU countries and partners from the Balkans, the Caucasus, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland and Ukraine. It does not negotiate a binding joint communiqué.
Security around the event is expected to be tight. Ireland has faced a wave of bomb threats and cyberattacks in recent days that Martin's government says have a "Russian dimension." Flights on Aer Lingus and Ryanair were delayed or diverted, and office buildings in Dublin, including the offices of national broadcaster RTÉ, were evacuated.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend as the only non-European invitee. It will be his second summit of the group, after one in Yerevan, Armenia, in May. Talk of a European "drone wall" to counter airspace incursions is likely to feature, after drones forced the closure of Copenhagen's airport before last year's summit.
From Dublin, Carney travels to Manila for the 49th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
