European leaders gathering in Dublin on Thursday and Friday face mounting pressure to appoint a representative to US-brokered negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, while divisions deepen over financing for Kyiv. The European Political Community summit on November 12 brings together around 50 leaders, followed by an informal meeting of the EU's 27 member states on November 13. European officials consulted with US and Ukrainian representatives during talks in Abu Dhabi this week, but Moscow refused to meet them. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wants an EU negotiator agreed by December, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a decision this month. Meanwhile, Germany's Friedrich Merz has linked agreement on Ukraine funding to negotiations over the EU's next seven-year budget. Kyiv faces a projected €70 billion shortfall in 2027, with the EU expected to cover about €45 billion. Slovakia's Robert Fico has rejected another loan for Ukraine and accused Merz of blackmail.
