Christina Finn reports from the Convention Centre

THE CONFLICT IN Ukraine and the possibility of further peace talks have dominated the opening of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin today.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned European leaders of Russia’s desire to reshape the security framework of the continent, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that he will not compromise on his hardline demands. 

The Russian president said he would not water down his territorial demands to control parts of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed, and ruled out agreeing to foreign peacekeeping troops being stationed in Ukraine — something Ireland has indicated it would welcome being a part of.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were in Moscow after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi and are travelling to Dublin today for a meeting with the Ukrainian president, which is due to take place later this evening. 

Aside from hopes that progress could be made today, the other talking point is who will speak for Europe in the event of peace negotiations with Russia. 

Speaking to reporters at the Convention Centre, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said “it’s very clear that Russia doesn’t want Europe around the table” but she added that European leaders should also not get bogged down on who might be the European representatives in those talks. 

“It’s very clear that Russia wants to push back on Europe being part of any of these discussions. But it is simply not credible if we talk about the security architecture of the EU and of Europe as a whole that we would not be there. So there’s going to be discussions tomorrow at the European Council [informal meeting]. I know that this is going to be part of the agenda,” said the minister. 

“Sometimes we get caught up on who is that individual. We need to make sure that the overall decision is taken,” she added. 

Earlier today, the French President Emanuel Macron said that Europe’s support for Ukraine is critical because “there is no more US support”.

Hitting a similar note, McEntee said Europe must send a very clear message to Russia that it will not be deterred in its support for Ukraine. 

“I think it was Chancellor Merz said earlier on today that if we can get through this winter, and if Ukraine can get through this winter, then we are confident that they will be able to win this war,” said McEntee. 

“But that will only happen with the support of Europe,” she said. 

The US side is understood to have urged Putin to allow European representatives to sit at the table for the next round of talks.