Unsurprisingly, the war in Ukraine led by Vladimir Putin’s Russia dominated the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Tirana on Friday 16 May, organised by the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, and the President of the European Council, António Costa.
On the sidelines of this informal exchange bringing together 47 countries from across Europe, the leaders of France (Emmanuel Macron), Germany (Friedrich Merz), Great Britain (Keir Starmer), Poland (Donald Tusk) and Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky) met shortly after the end of a session of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Turkey. They also called US President Donald Trump to inform him of the diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce in the conflict.
Trilateral meetings were held in Istanbul on Friday between Turks, Ukrainians and Russians on the one hand, and Turks, Americans and Ukrainians on the other. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators said they had discussed the possibility of a ceasefire, the organisation of a meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelensky and a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side.
However, European leaders deplored the fact that Russia had once again ignored the US and European call for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
At the final press conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, whose country will host the next EPC summit, stressed that Mr Trump was also in favour of tougher sanctions against Russia if it did not agree to a ceasefire. She was in favour of sanctions against Russian banks, energy, particularly oil, and the Russian ‘shadow fleet’.
Ceasefire. At the EPC summit, Mr Zelensky reaffirmed that his “number one priority is a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire”, to potentially pave the way for a future peace agreement. “This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy”, he declared. “If the Russian representatives in Istanbul cannot even agree to that, to a ceasefire, (...) it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy”, he added.
Emmanuel Macron said that Russia had no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire and that increased pressure would be needed to force it to do so.
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, said that an unconditional ceasefire was necessary, “as well as security guarantees” for Ukraine. According to her, “the world saw who was really willing to sit at a negotiating table, and who was not, and this shows (...) who looks for peace and who doesn’t”.
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s Federal Chancellor, reiterated the allies’ determination to “continue to provide strong support - political, economic, financial and military - to this country”. He also stressed the need to “do everything we can to keep the Americans on our side”.
New round of sanctions. Faced with Russian intransigence, Ukraine’s allies have no choice but to step up sanctions against Russia, beyond those provided for in the 17th package (see EUROPE 13640/6). The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed that the EU was working on a new package of sanctions, including: a ban on Nord Stream 1 and 2, new measures against the ‘shadow fleet’, a lower cap on the price of crude oil, and additional sanctions against the Russian financial sector, in particular Russian banks. Nord Stream is a system of two gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
“If the negotiations fail, Europe must be ready to act firmly with new sanctions and even greater support for Ukraine”, said the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo.
Defence. Mette Frederiksen stressed the need to “rearm Europe”. When it comes to military procurement, “we are all prepared to spend more on defence”, said Mr Merz. He insisted that the focus should not solely be on money: “My country and my government are ready to take a step forward in terms of efficiency, better purchasing and better cooperation in Europe”.
Mr Macron also spoke of the ongoing efforts to reach a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in the context of their border dispute.
Ms Meloni acknowledged that enlargement presented challenges, but said she was convinced that “European integration of the Western Balkans (...) is also a strategic investment on Europe’s own security”.
Gaza. Like Mr Macron, the President of the European Council, António Costa, said that “the situation in Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy, where international law is systematically violated; where a whole people is being subjected to crushing, disproportionate military force”.
The President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, organised a meeting in Tirana of European leaders hostile to the humanitarian blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza. Mr Sánchez, together with the Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir, coordinated the meeting, which was attended by his counterparts from Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, Slovenia, Robert Golob, Luxembourg, Luc Frieden and Malta, Robert Abela. Although the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, was unable to attend the meeting, he also signed a joint declaration stating that they would not remain silent in the face of this humanitarian disaster.
Democratic security. Emmanuel Macron denounced interference in the forthcoming elections in Europe, particularly in Romania, which is “undermining the integrity of our democracies”. He also cited Moldova, a daily victim of Russian interference.
Migration. The German Chancellor said that “we have now been facing migration threats for a decade”. “We are trying to solve this problem. We will do everything we can, together with the European Union, but we must also act on our own”, stressed Friedrich Merz. In his view, what Germany is doing is in line with European law, “and we are trying to coordinate our efforts with all our neighbours”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged the EU to update the customs union and revise Schengen visa practices to boost economic and social mobility. He added that the current restrictions not only hindered the movement of citizens, but also had a negative impact on trade links and economic integration with Europe.
Secretariat. France has proposed formalising the creation of a “light” secretariat for the EPC, consisting of a coordination and support team to monitor concrete projects. This secretariat could be provided by the Troika of EU Council Presidencies and the President of the European Council.
At the end of the meeting, Edi Rama mentioned the creation of an EPC coordination team, under the leadership of the President of the European Council. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)