EU Leaders: Ukraine must Be in Strongest Position Before, During, After Truce

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor Merz, President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime Minister Tusk, President von der Leyen, President Costa, Prime Minister Støre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Sánchez and Prime Minister Kristersson reaffirmed their unity in pursuing a just and lasting peace that the people of Ukraine deserve.

They declared in a joint statement:

“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the statement reads.

The statement also emphasized that Russia’s stalling tactics shows Ukraine is the only party genuinely committed to peace, while Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. It emphasised that Ukraine must remain in the strongest possible position – before, during, and after any ceasefire. 

It also highlighted the need to keep pressure on Russia’s economy and defence industry until Putin is ready to negotiate peace, and noted that measures are being developed to use the full value of Russia’s frozen assets to provide Ukraine with necessary resources. 

Leaders will meet later in the European Council and Coalition of the Willing formats to advance this work and further support Ukraine.