BRUSSELS: European leaders and Ukraine have jointly endorsed US President Donald Trump’s proposal to begin peace negotiations based on the current frontline with Russia.
The statement comes as Trump seeks to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year conflict triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“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,“ said the joint declaration.
Signatories included Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, EU leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Poland.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.
EU leaders are expected to demonstrate unified support for Ukraine at a Brussels summit on Thursday.
This will be followed by a “coalition of the willing” meeting in London to discuss further assistance for Kyiv.
Trump has announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks.
It remains unclear whether Zelensky, who was excluded from the previous Alaska meeting in August, will participate.
“We are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position—before, during, and after any ceasefire,“ the leaders stated.
They emphasised the need to “ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace.”
The European Union is considering a new €140 billion loan for Ukraine funded by frozen Russian central bank assets.
This proposal will be discussed at Thursday’s Brussels summit, where officials hope to approve further legal development. – AFP
