Zelenskyy tells Europe to hurry up and pick a rep for peace talks with Russia

ABU DHABI — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said European countries supporting his cause must decide fast who will represent them in peace talks. That means ideally one person should have a mandate from the EU and other non-EU countries who have backed Ukraine, such as the U.K.

and Norway, because “unity” is important, he suggested. “I think that in November, not later, we need to accept who will represent Europe in negotiations,” he said.

“It will be better because they will get [a] mandate for negotiations and they will get a mandate from all Europe, all this coalition.” With Europe set to take on a more important role in talks with Russia and the United States, Zelenskyy’s comments join a growing chorus of demands for the EU and others to unite behind one top negotiator or a small team at the highest level. Speaking to reporters during his trip to Denmark on Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader said he wanted a “dialogue” with the EU and other European powers over who will represent them.