Meloni: Smaller groups of states cannot represent the entire bloc

Ukraine's European allies should appoint a single representative for talks with Russia on ending the war, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told lawmakers today, saying that smaller groups of states cannot represent the entire bloc.

On Sunday, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, at the head of an informal security alliance called the E3, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said they supported Kiev's proposal for talks with Russia to secure a ceasefire.

Also, in a rare meeting of this type since the start of the war in Ukraine, the ambassadors of France, Germany and Britain in Moscow met today with the Russian deputy foreign minister. They condemned the latest escalation of the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed their support for talks between Kiev and Moscow, according to a statement from the French foreign ministry.

Meloni, a strong supporter of Ukraine, said Europe must "communicate" with Moscow to stop the conflict, but that no limited group has the "legitimacy to speak" for everyone.

"I have long supported the need to appoint an authoritative figure, who would enjoy the trust and have a mandate from all EU member states to represent Europe," she told parliament ahead of the EU summit and the meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies next week.

She added that peace-building efforts in Ukraine also require stronger coordination between Europe and the United States, stating that it is "not always an easy, but necessary challenge."

Gjorge Meloni's statements echoed those of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who earlier this week expressed regret over his country's absence from talks with Zelensky in London and said another meeting on Ukraine would be held soon, with Warsaw and Rome participating. Tusk said he was very wary of ideas from Western Europe to launch some kind of dialogue or talks with Putin on Ukraine as soon as possible and expressed dissatisfaction with the E3 format, which leaves out Ukraine's other European allies.

On Tuesday, he also said that he had spoken with Giorgia Meloni and pointed out that she was not enthusiastic about the existence of that format either, and said that any agreements in which Poland does not participate will not bind Warsaw.

In today's speech, Meloni also addressed the war between the US and Iran, while ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are raising energy prices and weighing on the global economy.

She said that Europe should be prepared to ease sanctions on Iran if it shows a willingness to negotiate.

"If, however, Tehran continues on the wrong path, threatening freedom of navigation, carrying out attacks, supporting militias and violating international obligations, then the European Union must be ready to increase pressure, including new targeted measures," she said.