George Meloni will introduce the EU's special envoy for resolving the war in Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will, at the upcoming European Union summit to be held on June 18–19 in Brussels, will officially nominate a special envoy to represent the EU’s interests in the diplomatic resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Italian prime minister announced preparations for this initiative during a press conference following the G7 summit in France.
Meloni refrained from announcing a specific name until the start of the summit, but clearly outlined the criteria for selecting a candidate. In her view, this delicate mission should be led by a representative of a so-called “medium-sized country,” rather than a diplomat from one of the largest EU member states, which would help balance influence within the bloc itself. In addition, the Italian leader shared behind-the-scenes insights from the G7 meeting, noting that the allies managed to reach a consensus with U.S. President Donald Trump on the Ukrainian issue. At the same time, she called on her European colleagues to be realistic, emphasizing that transatlantic understanding is the result of complex political work and cannot be taken for granted. Discussions on the Italian proposal are taking place against the backdrop of intensifying talks on launching a peace process, as well as following the disclosure of information about secret contacts between the office of European Council President António Costa and the Kremlin.
European Council President António Costa is attempting to establish a private channel of communication with the Kremlin to engage Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in discussions on the terms for ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is allegedly ready for negotiations on ending the war against Ukraine, but sees no willingness to engage in dialogue on the Ukrainian side.
As a reminder, during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin confirmed Abramovich’s visit to Kyiv and the proposal he received from Zelenskyy to meet, but stated that he sees no point in such a personal meeting, as he continues to believe that Russia’s superiority in resources will allow it to achieve its goals.
