Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Dublin on Wednesday evening ahead of the ninth European Political Community summit, where he is expected to meet U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a debrief on their talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy announced his arrival on Telegram, saying bilateral and multilateral meetings with partners were scheduled for November 11 and 12, with around 20 leaders taking part. He said he would attend the opening plenary session of the summit on Thursday.
Shortly after landing, Zelenskyy met Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at Government Buildings in Dublin. Martin said it remained his goal to open all negotiation clusters in Ukraine's European Union accession talks by the end of the year, when Ireland's presidency of the Council of the EU ends. Zelenskyy thanked Martin for Ireland's support and said Kyiv was ready to advance its bid for EU membership.
The Dublin summit, hosted by Ireland at the Convention Centre Dublin, will bring together around 50 heads of state or government under the theme of a strong, secure and connected Europe. The gathering, co-chaired by European Council President Antonio Costa and Martin, is expected to be dominated by Ukraine, following two days of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi that ended without a breakthrough.
Witkoff and Kushner announced after the Abu Dhabi talks that they would travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet Putin, and then to Dublin to brief Zelenskyy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will also attend the Dublin meeting and hold bilateral discussions with leaders, including Zelenskyy.
The summit is not a formal peace conference and cannot impose terms on either side, but it places the latest U.S. diplomatic effort alongside a gathering designed to coordinate European governments whose security and financial support will be essential to any lasting settlement. An informal meeting of the EU's 27 national leaders follows in Dublin on Friday.
