Merz, Macron, Starmer confirm full support for Ukraine after call with Zelenskyy, Germany confirms
A spokesperson for the German chancellor, Fredrich Merz, has just confirmed that Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and UK’s Keir Starmer spoke with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, earlier this morning.
The readout, published in German, said the leaders confirmed their “unwavering and full support for Ukraine on the path to a lasting and just peace.”
The leaders also “welcomed the US efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” including proposals to confirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and provide “robust” security guarantees, and intend to “coordinate closely” further on this.
But they also noted that they will “continue pursuing the goal of safeguarding vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” stressing that the current line of contact should serve “as the starting point” for any territorial discussion.
But, crucially, they also noted that any peace agreement “affecting European states, the European Union, or Nato requires the approval of European partners or a consensus among the allies.”
Key events
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Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches as member of European Parliament
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Ukraine’s sovereignty is fundamental principle for any future deal, UK PM says
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Peace deal must not punish victim and overlook crimes of aggressor, Czech president says, calling for assurances and ‘full say’ for Europe
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You can’t reward aggressor as it invites more aggression, EU’s Kallas warns
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All decisions with implications for Europe, Nato need support of partners, France says, as it backs Ukraine
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Ukraine, European countries to coordinate on making sure Ukraine’s ‘principled’ positions are included in peace deal, Zelenskyy says
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Cautious wording of post-call German statement reveals concern among allies
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Merz, Macron, Starmer confirm full support for Ukraine after call with Zelenskyy, Germany confirms
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Ukraine should negotiate ‘now’ or risk losing more territory, Kremlin warns
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‘All negotiations should be conducted with Ukraine’s participation,’ Poland’s Tusk says
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US ‘peace proposal’ includes Russianisms prompting questions about authorship of text – analysis
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Germany’s Merz expected to speak with Trump – German media
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European leaders expected to hold urgent talks with Zelenskyy about US-Russian plans – reports
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US proposal ‘not a real plan,’ and only Ukraine can decide about compromises, German foreign minister says
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EU not told about plans for Ukraine, EU’s Costa admits
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Trump’s proposal gains momentum and tests EU’s leadership, Hungary’s Orbán says
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Unimpressed with ‘absurd’ proposals, Ukraine faces tricky negotiations – analysis
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Ukraine needs ‘real, dignified’ peace, Zelenskyy says
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Morning opening: Europe scrambles to respond to US plan for Ukraine
Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches as member of European Parliament
While we’re on the UK, Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia when he was a member of the European Parliament.
Gill, a member of the Ukip and Brexit party blocs led by Nigel Farage in the European parliament, had pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.
Police say Gill received the equivalent of at least £40,000 and could have got even more from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian asset who is also under investigation but is now believed to be in Moscow.
Investigators who were taken by surprise by Gill’s guilty plea in September say he has given no explanation about his motivation, but they believe he was largely driven by financial need.
The statements he made were designed to benefit the Kremlin’s narrative on Ukraine in the period before Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022. Gill made the statements in the European parliament and also on a pro-Russian Ukrainian television channel linked to an ally of Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s sovereignty is fundamental principle for any future deal, UK PM says
Meanwhile, UK prime minister Keir Starmer insisted that Ukraine “must determine its future under its sovereignty” after his call with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and other European leaders earlier today.
Following the call, Starmer told broadcasters, via PA news agency:
“We all want a just and lasting peace. That’s what the president of America wants. That’s what we all want.
And so we need to work from where we are to that end.
But the principle that Ukraine must determine its future under its sovereignty is a fundamental principle.”
Peace deal must not punish victim and overlook crimes of aggressor, Czech president says, calling for assurances and ‘full say’ for Europe
Separately, Czech president Petr Pavel has struck a similar tone as he warned that “for the peace plan to be just, it must not punish the victim or overlook the crimes committed.”
Pavel, a retired army general, noted that the “details of the latest proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine are not official yet,” but stressed that “it remains the case that the bloodshed could stop at once with a ceasefire, which Russia continues to refuse.”
He added that if any peace deal is to have a lasting effect, “it must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty, ability to chart its own course, and decent future.”
“Ukrainians and Europeans know Russia all too well and need credible assurances that this aggression will not return. That is why Ukraine and Europe must have a full say in any settlement,” he added.
You can’t reward aggressor as it invites more aggression, EU’s Kallas warns
Speaking on the sidelines of the EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum, Kallas further stresses that “for any peace to be sustainable, it has to have certain elements” to meet all parties’ expectations.
“If you just give in to the aggression, then you invite for more aggression and this is dangerous,” she says.
“This is dangerous, not only for us in Europe, but also our Indo-Pacific partners, because all those countries around that might have an appetite for the neighbours’ territories will learn that this is this is okay, it pays off. And this is a very dangerous moment for all,” she says.
She also says:
“We all want this war to end, but how it ends matters. 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.”
Oh, that’s interesting.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking in Brussels, says the US sanctions on Russia are due to kick in today, and she pointedly adds that “I hope we don’t see … a decision that these sanctions are postponed, because this is exactly what Russia wants.”
All decisions with implications for Europe, Nato need support of partners, France says, as it backs Ukraine
We are now getting a line from the Élysée Palace with their take on the call, repeating the key lines from the other statements about the “unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace” and the need to “fully involve Ukraine, preserve its sovereignty and guarantee its future security.”
Once again, there is also a line that says that “all decisions that have implications for the interests of Europe and Nato require the joint support and consensus of European partners and Nato allies respectively.”
As argued earlier (13:30), that’s Europe outlining its red lines for any deal right there.
Ukraine, European countries to coordinate on making sure Ukraine’s ‘principled’ positions are included in peace deal, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just posted his reaction to the call too, thanking the leaders for their “principled support for Ukraine and for all our people.”
He says the leaders “appreciate the efforts of the US, president Trump and his team aimed at ending this war,” and are working on the US document.
“This must be a plan that ensures a real and dignified peace,” he says, adding – again, pointedly – that the four leaders want to ensure that Ukraine’s “principled positions are taken into account.”
“We coordinated the next steps and agreed that our teams will work together at the corresponding levels.,” he said.
Cautious wording of post-call German statement reveals concern among allies
Jakub Krupa
For all the positive language in the first part of the German statement after the leaders’ call about the importance of getting the deal, the last few paragraphs – about the need to “safeguard vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term” and to make sure the deal gets accepted by all allies – clearly signal concern about what’s in the proposal as, essentially, the current deal does not appear to be nowhere near meeting these two conditions.
One to follow closely as these diplomatic engagements will no doubt continue over the weekend.
Merz, Macron, Starmer confirm full support for Ukraine after call with Zelenskyy, Germany confirms
A spokesperson for the German chancellor, Fredrich Merz, has just confirmed that Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and UK’s Keir Starmer spoke with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, earlier this morning.
The readout, published in German, said the leaders confirmed their “unwavering and full support for Ukraine on the path to a lasting and just peace.”
The leaders also “welcomed the US efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” including proposals to confirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and provide “robust” security guarantees, and intend to “coordinate closely” further on this.
But they also noted that they will “continue pursuing the goal of safeguarding vital European and Ukrainian interests in the long term,” stressing that the current line of contact should serve “as the starting point” for any territorial discussion.
But, crucially, they also noted that any peace agreement “affecting European states, the European Union, or Nato requires the approval of European partners or a consensus among the allies.”
Ukraine should negotiate ‘now’ or risk losing more territory, Kremlin warns
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Ukraine should enter negotiations on ending the war “now” or face the prospect of losing more territory.
“The effective work of the Russian armed forces should convince Zelensky: it is better to negotiate and do it now rather than later,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as quoted by AFP.
“The space for the freedom of decision-making is shrinking for him as territories are lost during offensive actions by the Russian army,” he added.
Curiously, he claimed that Moscow had not officially received the US plan.
Over in Brussels, we have also had a confirmation from the European Commission that its work on the immobilised Russian assets “will continue,” regardless of the peace talks led by the US.
‘All negotiations should be conducted with Ukraine’s participation,’ Poland’s Tusk says
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said in a social media post that “all negotiations should be conducted with Ukraine’s participation.”
He said:
“Poles will make decisions concerning Poland; nothing about us without us. In the matter of peace, all negotations should be conducted with Ukraine’s participation.”
US ‘peace proposal’ includes Russianisms prompting questions about authorship of text – analysis
Luke Harding
in Kyiv
Some of the phrases in the US’s “peace proposal” for Ukraine appear to have been originally written in Russian. In several places the language would work in Russian but seems distinctly odd in English.
The third point of the 28-point plan reads: “It is expected that Russia will not invade neighbouring countries and Nato will not expand further.”
“It is expected” is a clunky passive construction in English. The Russian version – ожидается or ozhidayetsya – makes more sense and is a familiar verb form.
Other Russianisms that appear to have crept into the text include неоднозначности (ambiguities) and “закрепить” (to enshrine).
The White House has acknowledged Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s envoy, wrote the proposal together with Donald Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff. The pair hammered out the text during a meeting in Miami.
Ukraine and its European partners were excluded from the drafting process.
At the European Commission’s midday briefing, we have just been given a confirmation of António Costa’s earlier comments that the EU had not been “officially communicated” the US-Russian plan on Ukraine before it was made public (10:54).
There also a repeated hint that von der Leyen could be speaking to Zelenskyy very soon, and we are told to “stay tuned” on this.
We are now getting more confirmations of the call (11:14), also via sources to AFP and Reuters.
