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Key events
Meanwhile, Latvian PM Andris Kulbergs has a strong entry for the quote of the day competition, as he said “we, as Europe, have to grow some bigger balls.”
“I think we as Europe have to grow some bigger balls, because we are bigger in size, … in military might, in all the economic aspects.
Look where is Russia: Russia is not capable of even taking such an, in size, in population, smaller power as Ukraine, which is showing a great, great spirit and fighting back [for the] fifth year.
And Russia is 1794568495 raising points that we have no accept? Sorry, that’s the aggressor, losing on the frontline. We should be raising our expectations, what has to be done in terms of Ukraine’s security.”
Hungary’s Péter Magyar is also here, looking very elegant as always…
… but it looks like he took a slight detour on the way back to hotel last night to try and pour a perfect pint of Guinness.
Can’t blame him.
“Hold my beer,” he said on Instagram.
Benelux ‘on the side of Ukraine’ as ‘neither Americans nor Russians can decide our future’ for us, Luxembourg’s Frieden says
Luxembourg’s PM Luc Frieden is in a slightly unusual position this morning as he is representing as many as three countries at today’s meeting in Dublin.
Belgian and Dutch PMs have skipped the summit as they face political problems at home, leaving Frieden with three hats and representing not his usual 690,000 people, but some 30 million people today.
But he is confident he’s got it:
“We had a meeting of the Benelux prime ministers two days ago in Maastricht. And so I know that when I speak here on their behalf, that on the fundamental issues that are being discussed here today – Ukraine, AI – we are very much aligned.”
He says he has got “some of their speaking points” from Belgium and the Netherlands to help him get through the meeting today.
He stressed that the three Benelux countries “are on the side of Ukraine,” and that “there is need for solidarity of all 27 member states” on further financial support for Kyiv.
On who should represent the EU in any future talks, he said “we cannot let neither the Americans nor the Russians decide about our future,” and suggested EU’s Costa “has an important role to play.”
Sweden’s Kristersson will submit proposals to form centre-right government with centrists
There’s also a bit of national news on the side, with Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson confirming he will send his proposal to the Swedish Centre party later today in the latest bid to break the deadlock and form a new government, more than 60 days after the election.
The party – which could decide the shape of the next government – has asked the leaders of the centre-left Social Democrats and centre-right Moderates to share their proposals on how they could work together in office.
The deadline expires this afternoon, and hopefully the exercise will get us a bit closer to resolving the current standoff.
Both offers have their problems: the more natural, centre-left grouping, led by S’s Magdalena Andersson, is paralysed by the Left’s demand for cabinet decisions – a move the Centre party has said would be unacceptable.
But the alternative, led by Kristersson, would equally pose awkward questions for the Centre Party vis a vis the far-right Sweden Democrats – although the party offered they could remain in opposition, but support a minority centre-right government.
Kristersson sought to strike a conciliatory tone in Dublin, as he courted the centrists:
“I recognise that the Centre Party is under immense pressure right now – at times, the rhetoric has been quite harsh, bordering on insulting. I have no intention of engaging in that; instead, I respect the Centre Party’s right to choose its own path.”
He added:
“I do not intend to go into the details of the proposals we are presenting to the Centre Party; these are intended for their own internal deliberations.
However, I can say that this is a policy reform agenda representing a centrist, center-right political approach.”
On Ukraine, Kristersson said “what Russia does speaks volumes more than anything Russia might say during various negotiations,” saying he does not have “high hopes” about the current talks – but they still were worth pursuing.
He said the discussion on who should represent Europe is “slightly overstated,” as the focus should be on Europe’s interests, not personalities.
He said that some of the issues are “pure EU interests” to be represented by EU institutions, but others should involve the largest countries, including also the UK.
“I am quite flexible on that. I think what we actually say is more important than the exact configuration of the people in the room.”
Europe should not ‘walk into the traps that Russia is setting’ on negotiating sequence, Kallas says
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned against the EU agreeing to Russia’s proposed sequence of talks on Ukraine, saying it would allow Moscow to “divert the attention away” from its actions and ultimately leave Europe “in a worse place.”
She welcomed the US side “finally admitting what I said already one and a half years ago – that for any deal between Russia and Ukraine … you also need the Europeans.”
“I hope that we are just not at the table, but we are actually also really influencing the outcome of these negotiations.”
She said:
“The most important is that we keep to our agreement that first the ceasefire, then peace agreement and then any kind of other talks … when Russia is still presenting their maximum demands, then we should also stick to the maximum demands and start to negotiate from there. …
Kallas warned that there is a risk of Europeans “actually walking into the traps that Russia is setting” as Moscow is trying to “divert the attention away from that there is no ceasefire and actually [get us to] start to listen to their claims.”
“If we walk into that trap that we start to discuss … the European security architecture, then I don’t think we are in a better place. We are actually in worse place.”
She continued:
“Let’s focus on what it is at hand. We have one aggressor and one victim. The aggressor does not have security concerns, as nobody has ever attacked them. They have attacked others. I mean, keep the focus, people.”
Kallas is also very clear that she wants to be part of the EU negotiating team, saying she was appointed to represent Europe on foreign and security policy.
“I know that the Russians don’t want me, but do we have a say on who is representing Russia? No, we don’t.”
She also said that ultimately she would not be “representing myself,” but bound by any mandate given to her by the 27.
Slightly amused/frustrated with repeated questions on what’s holding up the EU with deciding on its representation, she eventually hits back with this line:
“Well, we have institutions in place, so we can’t just send any person that has no institutional role like the Americans are sending. Clearly, we should not copy the same patterns.”
Asked why she thinks the Russians do not want her to be involved in the negotiations, she says:
“They don’t want [anyone] strong on the other side because they want to push their through their maximum demands, like they have always done. Because … their tactics is very clear: at first you present threats and ultimatums, you use force, and then you will just wait, because there will always be people in the west who will offer you something you didn’t have before. And every time you go further.
So, of course, if you negotiate with anybody, you want the other side to be as weak as possible so that you can get what you want.”
It’s a pretty chilly morning in Dublin, but the European Council president, António Costa, is keen to signal to his hosts that he’s ready to do business, showing off a cute Irish green scarf to Ireland’s Micheál Martin.
Today’s host, Ireland’s Micheál Martin, said discussions will focus on what Europe needs to consider any future Ukraine settlement a just and sustainable peace.
“The substance of any peace agreement is as important as who represents Europe. Europe needs to be very clear in terms of what would constitute a sustainable peace for the continent, well into the future. Security guarantees are a significant part of that, and also the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
He said the outstanding questions on Europe’s priorities and representation need to be decided “in the next week or two.”
On AI, he said the meeting will “explore the implications of AI, positive … plus the potential negatives, and the balance between regulation and innovation.”
Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal has warned that Ukraine faces “winter … like hell again,” with Russia “bombing everything” as he urged European leaders to double down on their backing for Kyiv.
“Putin has to change his goals because the war, aggression, and killing of women, children, and civilians would stop right now if he gave an order.”
He added:
“The European plan for a while [has been] quite simple: help Ukraine push Russia and so should it be.”
Michal warned that Putin’s attempt to discuss the broader European security architecture before agreeing to end the war is “a mental trap” by Russia’s Putin.
“Does anybody really think that Europe is a threat to Russia? This is not sane talk to be honest.
So, I would say that our red line is quite clear: we should have peace, on Ukraine’s terms, and after that everything can be talked, but not before and not at the same time.”
The Estonian PM also said that if the EU needs to send its negotiators, the European Council president António Costa and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are “the persons to do it”.
Europe needs to be included in Ukraine talks ‘to safeguard our interests,’ EU’s von der Leyen says
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen insisted it is “self-explanatory” that Europe should be included in the peace talks on Ukraine “to safeguard our interests, but also to support Ukraine.”
“We will come forward as a commission with a proposal for the financing of the Ukrainian needs in 2027, and with the 22nd sanctions package before the next European Council,” she said.
von der Leyen also said today’s talks would focus on “the risks … but also the opportunities’ associated with the rise of AI.
Jennifer Rankin
in Dublin
EU leaders will continue talks on their diplomatic and financial support for Ukraine today, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged them to “pay attention” to Vladimir Putin’s demands on security.
European leaders meeting in Dublin on Thursday rejected calls that there was any need to recreate a European security architecture, while restating that Russia needed to stop attacking Ukraine.
European Council president António Costa summed it up:
“There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Europe had a functioning European security architecture until it was first, gradually undermined, and ultimately destroyed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Speaking to reporters the UK prime minister Andy Burnham said Europe “in the wider sense” i.e not just the EU, would decide on its own arrangements.
“In terms of the wider point, there was a very strong feeling that you know, Russian demands to put the question of European security architecture or European security arrangements into this negotiation – that is not up for negotiation... It is for Europe to decide its own arrangements. Europe and Europe alone. And again, I am talking in the wider sense when I say that.”
Around 40 countries, most of the attendees of the European Political Community summit on Thursday, signed a declaration drafted by France declaring that European states “bear a primary responsibility and are assuming greater responsibility for the security of Europe”.
EU leaders are continuing talks in Dublin on Friday, focusing on AI. But following interventions from Giorgia Meloni and Friedrich Merz, they will also discuss Europe’s role in international peace talks and the question of future financial support for Ukraine.
EU leaders meet in Dublin to talk Ukraine, AI
Jakub Krupa
EU leaders are meeting in Dublin today for discussions on Ukraine and AI, among others, as they continue their search for a lead EU negotiator in any peace talks with Russia.
Their discussions are becoming increasingly urgent, after Ukraine and Russia have agreed to expand the next round of peace negotiations to include European countries, US envoy Jared Kushner said last night after meeting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin.
“This will allow us to address the broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia,” Kushner said later on X.
But, as he somewhat mockingly said on Wednesday,
“If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiations.”
Ouch.
Let’s see what comes out of these discussions, with the leaders also expected to talk about AI.
Elsewhere, I am still keeping an eye on the Dutch government crisis as Rob Jetten works hard to avoid the collapse of his minority cabinet.
It’s Friday, 13 November 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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