European leaders must secure a “clear, coherent leadership” at any negotiating table over the war in Ukraine, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said as he welcomes up to 50 European leaders including Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy to Dublin today.
Speaking at the European Political Community (EPC) summit which Ireland is hosting in Dublin, the Taoiseach stressed that Europe must have a direct voice in diplomatic talks involving Moscow and Washington, given the continent’s economic and security stakes alongside Ukraine’s future EU membership.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said US-Russia-Ukraine peace talks that took place this week in Abu Dhabi will be discussed by leaders on the sidelines of today’s summit.
US negotiators are meeting Russia’s President Putin in Moscow this morning and are then due to jet over to Dublin to debrief Europeans and President Zelenskyy this evening.
It comes as Zelenskyy warned that Ukrainian forces had suffered new restrictions on the US-operated Starshield satellite network, hampering its air defences.
Starshield is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly denied that the White House or his administration ordered the throttling or restrictions on Starlink/Starshield in Ukraine.
Mr Martin noted that President Zelenskyy would co-chair a Friends of Ukraine meeting in Dublin today to brief leaders on recent UAE talks ahead of a debriefing tonight regarding engagement between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Our view up to now has been that Russia hasn’t shown any genuine interest in a peaceful resolution of this conflict,” the Taoiseach said. “It remains to be seen whether that has changed or not.”
Zelenskyy posted on social media this morning that Ukrainian forces have faced “significant disruptions” to Starshield—a militarised satellite service—along the front line for several days.
Following briefings from Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, President Zelenskyy said systematic speed caps of 161 kilometres per hour (100 mph) have prevented Ukrainian interceptors from catching Russian jet-powered drones.
“Unfortunately, there have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Kyiv is working to establish the circumstances with Washington.