European leaders reassure Ukraine of continued support

The leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom spoke by phone on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, assuring him of their continued support amid the war with Russia as European officials scrambled to respond to US peace proposals that apparently caught them unawares.

The US plan contains many of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding demands, including Ukrainian territorial concessions, while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine.

Wary of antagonising US President Donald Trump, the European and Ukrainian responses were cautiously worded and pointedly commended American peace efforts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelensky of “their unchanged and full support on the way to a lasting and just peace” in Ukraine, Merz’s office said.

The four leaders welcomed US efforts to end the war.

“In particular, they welcomed the commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the readiness to grant Ukraine solid security guarantees,” the statement added.

“They agreed to continue pursuing the aim of protecting vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” the statement said.

“That includes the line of contact being the point of departure for an agreement and that the Ukrainian armed forces must remain in a position to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine effectively.”

Starmer said the right of Ukraine to “determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”

European countries see their own futures at stake in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels.

“Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.”

The plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out, reduces the size of it army and blocks its route to Nato membership.

Zelensky said the leaders discussed the plan and appreciated the efforts of Trump and his team, although he added that they are “working on the document.”

“We are closely coordinating to ensure that the principled positions are taken into account,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post. A European government official said that the US plans weren’t officially presented to Ukraine’s European backers.

Many of the proposals are “quite concerning,” the European government official said, adding that a bad deal for Ukraine would also be a threat to broader European security.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she also would call Zelensky to discuss the 28-point plan.

“Important is a key principle we have always upheld, and that is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” she said at a G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

European Council President Antonio Costa in Johannesburg said of the US proposals: “The European Union has not been communicated (about) any plans in (an) official manner.”

Ukrainian officials said they were weighing the US proposals, and Zelensky said he expected to talk to Trump about it in coming days.

“We are fully aware that America’s strength and America’s support can truly bring peace closer, and we do not want to lose that,” Zelensky said on Telegram late Thursday.

The Kremlin offered a reserved reaction, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow has not officially received the US peace plan.

“No, we haven’t received anything officially. We’re seeing some innovations. But officially, we haven’t received anything. And there hasn’t been a substantive discussion of these points,” Peskov told reporters without elaborating further.

He claimed US-Russian diplomatic contacts are “ongoing,” but “nothing substantive is currently being discussed.”

Associated Press