Leaders of several European countries and top EU officials have issued a joint statement expressing support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to immediately halt hostilities in Ukraine and launch peace talks based on the current line of contact.
The parties emphasized the inadmissibility of changing internationally recognized borders and called for increased pressure on Russia’s economy, according to a joint statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the presidents of France and Finland, the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Norway, the German chancellor, the president of the European Commission, and the president of the European Council.
The text of the statement was published on X by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrinform reports.
“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.
It stresses that Russia’s delay in engaging demonstrates that Ukraine is the only party genuinely seeking peace, and therefore it must be in the strongest possible position before, during, and after any ceasefire.
“We must ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russia’s immobilized sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs,” the statement said.
The document also notes that leaders will meet later this week in the European Council and in the Coalition of the Willing format to discuss how to take this work forward and to further support Ukraine.