The President of the Commission and the President of the European Council spoke of “substantial” and “significant” progress in the discussions in Geneva regarding the peace efforts for , in their joint statements shortly after the end of the informal meeting of the European leaders in Luanda.
Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that a “firm basis for the promotion of peace talks” had been created, noting that the discussions were about “the security of our entire continent now and in the future”.
“Today we confirmed that we are united in support of Ukraine,” von der Leyen said, highlighting three key elements: First, . Second, “only Ukraine as a sovereign state can make decisions about the armed forces.” Third, it is Ukraine that will choose its future.
For his part, Antonio Costa stated that “the EU is committed to continuing to provide President Zelensky with all the support he needs: diplomatic, military and financial” and added that “the EU is committed to implementing the financial support to Ukraine”, ahead of the European Council in December.
“Geneva discussions are constructive – Peace must be a lasting solution”
The President of the European Council said the EU welcomes the “constructive” discussions and progress achieved in Geneva between the US and Ukraine and praised the efforts of President Zelensky and President Trump and their delegations there. He noted, however, that “it is clear that issues of immediate EU concern, such as sanctions, enlargement or frozen Russian assets, require full EU involvement and decision-making.”
“We are ready to continue supporting this process by working closely with the EU and in close coordination with Ukraine, the US and NATO,” A. Costa said, adding that “what matters now is to move forward as partners, united towards our common goal,” which is to end the war and ensure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. “Peace cannot be a temporary truce, it must be a lasting solution,” he said.
During the teleconference, which was organized by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa on the sidelines of the EU-African Union Summit in Angola, the European leaders exchanged views and were informed about the latest developments in Ukraine,
Mertz: “Trump is open to a joint peace plan for Ukraine”
Moscow must come “to the table” of negotiations as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underlined today, deeming it impossible to make significant diplomatic “progress” this week.
“Russia must be present at the (negotiating) table. If that is done, every effort will be justified, and if not, more efforts will be needed,” Mertz said on the sidelines of the European Union-African Union summit in Luanda, Angola.
Berlin expressed satisfaction with the “progress” made during the negotiations in Geneva between the Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans.
The German chancellor also said that US President Donald Trump expressed a willingness to jointly work out a peace plan for Ukraine during their phone conversation last week.
“And that’s exactly what the representatives of Ukraine, the United States and the European member states achieved yesterday in Geneva,” Mertz said on the sidelines of the summit in Luanda.
“Peace in Ukraine will not come overnight”
“We welcome the fact that these talks took place in Geneva. We also welcome the provisional outcome. Some issues were clarified, but we also know:
“These discussions were held on the basis of the 28-point plan presented by Washington, which aims to end the nearly four-year war and Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This plan is primarily considered to favor Moscow to a large extent,” the German Chancellor added, among other things.
“This is a painstaking process, I don’t expect much progress this week,” Mertz said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier said he was “very optimistic” about the possibility of reaching an agreement “very quickly”.
Europeans will have to approve every aspect that affects their security in a future deal that will end the war in that country, the German chancellor also warned.
“It is important for us that a peace plan for Ukraine cannot be drawn up without our agreement on matters affecting European interests and European sovereignty,” he said.
The original version and changes in favor of Ukraine
The original version of the American document had provoked the opposition of Kiev and its European allies – Paris, London, Berlin, Rome – who went to Geneva on Sunday to prevent a peace in the form of capitulation.
However, following these diplomatic talks, the United States and Ukraine “drafted a new, improved version of a peace framework” that should fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, according to a joint statement.
The original text of Trump’s plan, endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, included key demands from Moscow: that Kiev cede territory, agree to reduce the size of its military and abandon the idea of joining NATO. While offering Western security guarantees to Ukraine to prevent any new Russian attack.
