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EU foreign ministers on Monday called for “transatlantic unity” to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia following an emergency meeting convened ahead of a Trump-Putin summit later this week.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said following the informal virtual foreign affairs council (FAC) – also attended by Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha – that ministers “expressed support for US steps that will lead to a just peace”.
“Transatlantic unity, support to Ukraine and pressure on Russia is how we will end this war and prevent future Russian aggression in Europe.
“Meanwhile, we work on more sanctions against Russia, more military support for Ukraine and more support for Ukraine’s budgetary needs and accession process to join the EU,” she added.
The meeting was hastily convened on Sunday following the announcement two days earlier that US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet on 15 August in Alaska.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not expected to join them although Trump has said he hopes to chair a trilateral meeting involving the Ukrainian premier.
The upcoming summit has led to a flurry of contacts between European heads of state who fear being sidelined from a deal they will probably have to uphold the bulk of.
In a joint statement issued over the weekend, the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, and European Commission reiterated their stance that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine”.
They also rejected Putin’s ceasefire proposal to trade the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk stating that “the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations” and stressed that they “are united as Europeans and determined to jointly promote our interests”.
“We will continue to cooperate closely with President Trump and with the United States of America, and with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, for a peace in Ukraine that protects our vital security interests,” they added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Wednesday chair an emergency meeting of the coalition of the willing which Trump and Zelenskyy will join. The leaders of Italy, Finland, Poland, NATO’s Secretary-General as well as Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, who helm the European Commission and European Council respectively, are also expected to participate.
The Elysee said other videoconference meetings will be held on the same day in various formats, “including one attended by President Trump”.
The situation and latest developments in the Middle East, in particular the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, were also on the agenda for today’s foreign affairs council.
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