About 50 European leaders are gathering in Dublin on Thursday 12 November 2026 for the ninth summit of the European Political Community (EPC), with the war in Ukraine, continental security and the faltering US-led peace process at the top of the agenda. The meeting is being held at the Convention Centre Dublin, on the banks of the River Liffey, under the theme “Europe – strong, secure and connected”.

The summit is chaired by European Council President António Costa and hosted by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. An informal meeting of the EU’s 27 national leaders follows at the same venue on Friday 13 November. The EPC was created in 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as an informal forum that cannot take binding decisions.

Zelenskyy arrives seeking a briefing on Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Dublin on Wednesday evening and held talks with Mr Martin before the summit. He thanked Ireland for what he called its unwavering support and said he expected to receive an update from the US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are due to meet him in Dublin on Thursday after travelling to Moscow to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, on 10 and 11 November, ended without a breakthrough on the central obstacles to a settlement, although the parties agreed in principle on a major prisoner-of-war exchange. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the Donbas still under Kyiv’s control. European representatives were in Abu Dhabi for consultations, but Russia refused to meet them.

Mr Zelenskyy said he planned to meet about 20 of the leaders gathered in Dublin and to take part in the opening plenary session, scheduled to begin at 11am with remarks from Mr Martin and the Ukrainian president. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is also attending and is due to meet Mr Zelenskyy.

Europe presses for a seat at the table

The question of who speaks for Europe in the peace talks is expected to dominate the discussions. Mr Zelenskyy has said Europe should choose a representative this month, and Mr Kushner has urged Europe to identify one person to speak on its behalf. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that no new envoy was needed, arguing that Mr Costa and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, could take part in talks in line with their existing roles. The issue follows a letter from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Mr Costa demanding a single European voice.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is among the leaders arriving on Thursday, flying in after attending the COP31 climate conference in Turkey. He is expected to announce further sanctions against Russia, to co-chair a security and defence roundtable and to take part in a meeting on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s EU path and Irish drone cooperation

Mr Martin told a joint press conference with Mr Zelenskyy on Wednesday that Ukraine’s future is within the European Union, and that it remains his goal to open all of the country’s remaining EU accession negotiating clusters before Ireland’s Council presidency ends on 31 December. Three clusters have been opened, and Mr Martin said Ireland would do all it could to ensure the remaining two are opened before the end of the presidency. He also pointed to the EU’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia and to the continuing EU support loan for Ukraine’s defence.

The two leaders also said Ireland and Ukraine are discussing a memorandum to co-produce drones, drawing on Ukrainian expertise for maritime security.

Largest security operation in Irish history

The summit has brought the biggest security operation in the history of the Irish state to Dublin. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said hoaxes and cyber attacks were expected, citing the war in Ukraine and Russia’s grey-zone tactics. The Garda operation runs from 10 to 13 November and involves more than 15,000 twelve-hour tours of duty, with the Convention Centre area sealed off and road closures across parts of the city.

No joint declaration or Ukraine agreement has been announced for the summit. The test for the leaders in the room is whether a forum that cannot impose terms can still shape them, by agreeing a common European position before the next round of talks. PA Media via The Oldham Times and Europe Says reported the summit arrangements.