Regional security dominates European talks in Dublin amid hybrid attacks
Leaders from more than 40 European countries have gathered in Dublin for a summit dominated by growing hybrid attacks across the continent.
The biannual European Political Community (EPC), established in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, brought together heads of state and government officials on Thursday to discuss the region's fragile security. The meeting coincides with a new US-backed effort to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
The gathering follows a series of disruptive hoaxes and cyberattacks targeting supermarkets, blood banks, passenger airlines, schools and media outlets across Europe. Earlier on Thursday, more than 3,700 Italian schools received hoax bomb warnings, a day after 6,300 schools were affected by similar alerts.
Security concerns
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin stated that those responsible for the hybrid attacks seek to 'create confusion, sow division and weaken public confidence in our democratic systems.' European officials have accused Russia of being behind the disruptive attacks on key infrastructure that fall below the threshold of war, though Russia has denied involvement.
We will not allow them to succeed. We will continue to use forums like this to share our experiences, learn from one another and to work together to protect our democracies.
Ukraine peace talks
A major topic of conversation was Europe's quest for an envoy to represent it in peace talks following calls from Washington and Kyiv. US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to let European representatives join the next round of Ukraine discussions after a meeting in Moscow.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged his 'complete support' to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and committed to pushing for European representation in the US-brokered talks. Burnham co-chaired a group meeting on Ukraine with Zelenskyy at the summit.
Political landscape
The EPC occurs amid growing political tensions in Europe, a week after US midterm elections saw significant losses for President Donald Trump's Republican Party. While populist leaders have been ousted in Serbia and Hungary, the far right continues to gain strength in Europe, with recent advances in German regional elections.
Voters in major European countries including Spain, France, Italy and Poland will head to the polls in the coming months. Meanwhile, two people were arrested during a protest in Dublin organized by 'Mothers Against Genocide' over Israel's actions in Gaza, as the EPC summit continued.
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