Germany just confirmed Europe will join Ukraine peace talks

Germany just said it out loud.

Friedrich Merz, Germany's Chancellor, says real peace talks on Ukraine are coming in the next few weeks. And for the first time, Europe gets a seat at that table.

He said it earlier today, at an EU leaders' summit in Dublin.

So who speaks for Europe? Merz says it'll likely be the same European countries that already sat down with the US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week.

And Germany itself? Merz says that part is "perfectly clear". Germany is in.

This is the clearest thing any European leader has said so far. Not just a voice on the sidelines. A seat at the table.

So how did we get here?

Two days ago, Russia, Ukraine and America sat down together in Abu Dhabi. First time in nine months. No Europeans in the room. France had said it would be there. It wasn't.

Then, two days ago, Jared Kushner, the US special envoy, posted on social media that both sides had agreed to bring Europe into the next round. Steve Witkoff, the other US envoy, went further. He said Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, had personally agreed to let Europeans join, after Witkoff and Kushner met him in Moscow.

But here's the problem. Russia hasn't actually confirmed that.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, said today that Russia has not committed to anything yet. He says quote "once we understand their genuine intention and readiness to contribute".

So America says Russia already agreed. Russia says it hasn't decided. Those two stories don't match.

And nobody has worked out who actually represents Europe.

A few hours before that, on the sidelines of a different summit, Merz said he'd be fine with five countries doing it — Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Poland — on top of the existing three of Germany, France and Britain. But he was clear: nothing is decided. And Russia has to agree to joint talks first anyway.

There's also a fight over who the single EU envoy would be. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said today that Russia doesn't want her there. Her words: quote "they don't want anybody strong on the other side". She says it isn't Russia's call to make anyway. António Costa, the European Council President, is now the name most people expect instead.