European leaders emphasize the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine and support peace efforts
European Union leaders called for providing "strong security guarantees" for Ukraine to support its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in a statement issued today, Saturday, August 16, via the official EU website, following a joint phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
European leaders expressed their welcome for Trump's efforts to "stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, end the Russian war, and achieve a fair and lasting peace," noting that "the next step should now be to hold further talks involving Zelensky and European sponsorship."
The statement also emphasized the rejection of any attempts to impose restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces or limit its cooperation with other countries, considering that "Russia cannot oppose Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union and NATO."
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed in a post on the "X" platform that "strong security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe are essential for any peace agreement that ends the Russian-Ukrainian war."
The European statement came after a phone call that brought together EU leaders with Trump and Zelensky, where the U.S. President briefed them on the results of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Trump noted that the meeting did not lead to a ceasefire agreement, but revealed that "everyone agreed that establishing a better peace agreement is more important than a ceasefire that may not last long."
Although details of the Russian-American meeting were not disclosed, Trump indicated that "a very important issue remained unresolved," describing the meeting as "great," without further clarification.
It is worth noting that European leaders also emphasized in their statement the "necessity of not changing international borders by force," in a clear reference to the stance on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
