Ukraine’s European allies on Sunday projected unity at a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, welcoming U.S. talk of security guarantees but stressing Kyiv must be involved in discussions about its territory.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a meeting of allies on Sunday to bolster President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hand at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday.
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French President Emmanuel Macron said the goal of Monday’s talks is to present a united front between Ukraine and its European allies.
“If we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts,” he said.
He added that Kyiv’s allies in Sunday’s meeting wanted strong and lasting peace in Ukraine and for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected.
Ceasefire before negotiations
Some of the 33 participants called for an immediate ceasefire, something Trump originally said he was trying to secure during his summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
However, the U.S. president later changed course and agreed with the Russians that peace negotiations could come without a ceasefire, an idea that was dismissed by some of Ukraine’s European allies.
“You cannot negotiate peace under falling bombs,” Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
‘Clear support for Ukraine’
A joint communique released by Britain, France and Germany after the meeting said their leaders were ready “to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces.”
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Some European countries, led by Britain and France, have been working since last year on such a plan, but other countries in the region remain reluctant to become involved militarily, underlining how fraught peace discussions are even among Kyiv’s allies.
Zelensky said on social media platform X there had been “clear support for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty” at the meeting. “Everyone agrees that borders must not be changed by force.”
He added that any prospective security guarantees “must really be very practical, delivering protection on land, in the air, and at sea, and must be developed with Europe’s participation.”
EU leaders to visit Washington
On Monday, several European leaders will travel to Washington with Zelensky and are keen to avoid a repeat of his last Oval Office meeting in February.
The televised discussion went disastrously, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance giving the Ukrainian leader a public dressing-down, accusing him of being ungrateful and disrespectful.
Those accompanying Zelensky include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
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