BURSTEuropean Union (EU) leaders are urging President Trump to defend their security interests while insisting that a ceasefire in Eastern Europe cannot be struck without Ukraine's involvement.
The pressure comes ahead of the highly anticipated summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska later this week.
Leaders of all EU nations, apart from Hungary, said Tuesday that they welcome Trump’s efforts to end the more than three-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine, but cautioned that the international borders “must not be changed by force.”
“A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and that international borders must not be changed by force,” the leaders said in a lengthy statement.
“The people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,” they added. “Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities.”
European politicians are looking to exert some influence ahead of the Friday summit, a meeting they will not attend. Trump has said that as part of the potential peace deal, some territorial swaps would occur for “the betterment of both” countries, an idea that was rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and met with dismay among some European leaders.
Trump criticized Zelensky over his resistance to ceding territory to Russia.
“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval.’ I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap — because there’ll be some land swapping going on,” the president told reporters Monday at the White House.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited Trump, Zelensky, Vice President Vance and some European leaders to hold a series of meetings, slated on Wednesday, to discuss available options to put more pressure on Russia and prepare for the potential peace talks.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has wider implications for European and international security,” the EU leaders continued in the statement. “We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.”
They said that in coordination with the U.S. and other “like-minded partners," the EU will continue giving humanitarian, political, military, diplomatic and financial support to Ukraine as Kyiv is “exercising its inherent right” of self-defense and keep up the “restrictive measures” against the Kremlin.
As lawmakers in Europe continued to prep for the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting, the Russian military has continued its attacks on Ukraine, hitting a military training facility overnight, which killed one person and injured at least 11, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces. Due to security reasons, the location of the facility was not disclosed.
“A Ukraine capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of any future security guarantees," the leaders wrote. "The European Union and Member States are ready to further contribute to security guarantees based on their respective competences and capabilities, in line with international law, and in full respect of the security and defense policy of certain Member States and taking into account the security and defense interests of all Member States."
They added that the union will keep supporting Ukraine on its path toward EU membership.