Regional security dominates European talks in Dublin amid hybrid attacks

What Happened

More than 40 European heads of state and government gathered in Dublin on Thursday for the European Political Community summit, a biannual forum established in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The meeting focused on regional security and a US-backed effort to revive Russia-Ukraine peace talks, against a backdrop of hybrid attacks: hoaxes and cyberattacks have recently targeted 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 a similar widespread alert, according to the article. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said those responsible seek to 'create confusion, sow division and weaken public confidence in our democratic systems'. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to let European representatives join the next round of Ukraine discussions following a meeting in Moscow; it remains unclear who will be named as European representative. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged his 'complete support' to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he would push for European representation in the US-brokered talks. Burnham co-chaired a group meeting on Ukraine with Zelenskyy at the summit. Separately, two people were arrested during a protest organised by 'Mothers Against Genocide' over the war in Gaza in Dublin's city centre while the summit was ongoing.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Dublin summit marks a push by European governments to coordinate responses to hybrid attacks that have disrupted schools, airlines, and critical services, and to secure a seat at negotiations that could shape Ukraine's future and the continent's security architecture. With US envoy Steve Witkoff stating Putin agreed to European representation, the meeting tests whether Europe can convert diplomatic momentum into a formal role in the talks, even as political volatility—including recent far-right gains in Germany and upcoming elections in Spain, France, Italy and Poland—complicates unified action.

Watch For

Monitor who is named as the European representative for peace talks; the next round of US-brokered Russia-Ukraine discussions following Witkoff's Moscow meeting; any statements from European governments on attribution or investigation of the Italian school bomb hoaxes; and upcoming elections in Spain, France, Italy and Poland, which may shift the political landscape.