European leaders said on Saturday they welcomed US President Donald Trump’s desire for peace in Ukraine but reiterated the need for security guarantees for Kyiv and no Russian veto over Ukraine’s NATO and EU bid.
In a joint statement following Trump’s Friday talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska and a debrief call on Saturday, European leaders expressed support for a path to peace in Ukraine but tacitly argued that it must not compromise the country’s sovereign decisions.
The leaders also announced their support for a trilateral summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump and Putin.
This was stated in a joint declaration released on Aug. 16, signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and European Council President António Costa.
What the leaders said
The leaders welcomed Trump’s actions aimed at ending Russia’s war of aggression and restoring peace in Ukraine. “As President Trump has said, ‘there is no agreement until there is an agreement,’” the statement says.
According to the joint declaration, “the next step must be further talks with President Zelensky, with whom [Trump] will meet soon.”
Zelensky is set to meet Trump in Washington after their Saturday phone call.
The leaders said they are ready to cooperate with Washington and Kyiv in organizing a trilateral summit “supported by Europe.”
Security guarantees and red lines
The European leaders then reiterated that Ukraine must receive “iron-clad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
They welcomed Trump’s statement that the US is ready to provide such guarantees, likely referring to his Friday remarks before the talks in which he said the US would be involved in Kyiv’s security guarantees, while ruling out NATO participation.
The statement also says, “Ukraine’s armed forces and its cooperation with third countries should not be subject to any restrictions” – potentially signaling that Russia demanded Ukraine’s non-entry into the EU or NATO during Friday’s Trump–Putin talks, the details of which have not been disclosed.
“Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO,” the statement says.
Barring Ukraine from joining NATO or the EU was one of Moscow’s official war goals.
In the statement, the leaders also said Ukraine “will make decisions concerning its territory,” adding that international borders “cannot be changed by force.”
“We will continue our support for Ukraine. We are determined to do more to maintain Ukraine’s strong position to bring an end to the fighting and achieve a just and lasting peace.”
Sanctions pressure on Russia
Europe is also “ready to continue to apply pressure” on Moscow, according to the statement.
“We are ready to continue to apply pressure on Russia until the bloodshed in Ukraine ends. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and broader economic measures to pressure Russia’s war economy until a just and lasting peace is reached.”
“Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity in working to achieve a peace that protects the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe,” the leaders said.
However, the statement did not mention the form of sanctions, nor whether it would be done in coordination with the US.
The statement followed a call between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders on Saturday, during which Trump debriefed the parties on his meeting with Putin a day earlier.
Zelensky called the conversation long and substantive, beginning one-on-one before European leaders joined. It lasted over 90 minutes, with about an hour spent privately.
Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible for the sake of peace and supports Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting.
Zelensky said key issues should be discussed at the level of national leaders.