European leaders have welcomed United States President Donald Trump’s effort to advance negotiations on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, while setting clear parameters for any next steps: Kyiv must be at the table, there can be no external veto over its Euro-Atlantic path, and security guarantees must be “ironclad”.
The joint statement followed Mr Trump’s 15 August meeting with the Russian President in Alaska and an early-morning debrief to European counterparts and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Issued in the names of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and European Council President António Costa, the text records Mr Trump’s line that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal” and notes he will meet Mr Zelenskyy “soon”. The leaders said they are ready to work with Washington and Kyiv towards a US-Ukraine-Russia trilateral summit “with European support”.
The statement sets out several constraints. It stresses that Ukraine must receive robust security guarantees to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, welcomes Mr Trump’s indication that the United States is prepared to provide such assurances, and states that a “Coalition of the Willing” stands ready to play an active role. It adds that no limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its defence cooperation with third countries, and that Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine’s pathway to the EU and NATO. Decisions on territory, the leaders say, rest with Ukraine; international borders must not be changed by force. Läs artikel