US and Russia know Ukraine deal impossible without Europe, Taoiseach says

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Washington and Moscow both know there can be no peace agreement or settlement ending the war in Ukraine without the input of Europe, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said following a…

Washington and Moscow both know there can be no peace agreement or settlement ending the war in Ukraine without the input of Europe, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said following a summit of European leaders in Dublin.

The terms of any ceasefire would have ramifications for the wider Continent, beyond states in the European Union, Martin told a press conference following the high-level political summit.

The European Political Community (EPC) meeting brought together 44 European leaders in Dublin, plus the heads of several EU institutions and Nato’s secretary general. Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney attended as a non-European guest.

The ninth meeting of the EPC was dominated by the Ukraine war and the resumption this week of US-brokered efforts to press for a peace settlement.

“Russia continues to be focused on escalating the war, it has yet to demonstrate it prioritises peace over dominance,” European Council president António Costa told the concluding press conference.

The idea of strong powers establishing zones of influence over different corners of the world was something that belonged in the “dustbin of history”, Costa said.

Turning to negotiations concerning the Ukraine war, he said the future of European security “cannot be discussed and decided without Europe”.

The EPC forum was originally set up in 2022 to deepen political ties between the leaders of European countries in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The EPC format meets twice a year and the job of hosting rotates every time between an EU state and a European country outside of the union. The next meeting will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, in April.

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