A joint statement by six EU countries and the EU Commission, issued overnight between Saturday and Sunday, warned U.S. President Trump about going it alone in peace talks with Russia’s President Putin, saying, “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Great Britain, and Finland joined the Commission in telling Trump that “international borders must not be changed by force” after American broadcaster CBS reported that the proposed deal would include Russia keeping the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as well as the Crimean Peninsula.
France’s President Macron, continuing his efforts to appear relevant on the international stage, commented in a post on X that “”Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday, along with two aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In comments after the meeting, Zelensky’s head of office, Andriy Yermak, thanked Vance and emphasized that Ukraine needs to be involved in any peace negotiations.
“A reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table,” he said. “A ceasefire is necessary—but the frontline is not a border.”
Trump has not ruled out a trilateral meeting including both warring parties but said he would “start with Russia.”
