Ukraine peace: European countries provide conditions

European heads of state and government have stated that the “way to peace” in Ukraine cannot be decided without Kiev. Negotiations can also only take place as part of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostility, it was said in a joint explanation of the heads of state and government of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finlands and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

In the statement, they emphasized that they are still obliged to the principle that international boundaries must not be changed by violence: “The current contact line should be the starting point for the negotiations.”

In view of the planned meeting of US President Donald Trump and the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin on August 15th in Alaska, European countries had submitted their own peace proposal for Ukraine to the United States. The Europeans called for an armistice before all further steps, reported the “Wall Street Journal” after the discussion of representatives of Ukraine and other countries in Great Britain. In addition, any area exchange must be based on mutuality. There must also be security guarantees.

An insider from circles of European countries confirmed that there was a counter -proposal, but did not comment on details. A reporter of the news portal “Axios” quoted a US representative with the words: “Today’s hours of meeting have made considerable progress to President Trump’s goal of ending the war in Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj described the meeting as constructive. “All of our arguments were heard,” he said in his every evening video address. Ukraine coordinated with representatives of Great Britain, the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland. “The way to peace for Ukraine should be determined together and only together with Ukraine is the decisive principle,” said Selenskyj. British Foreign Minister David Lammy and US Vice President JD Vance invited to the meeting.

Trump and Putin agreed a summit in Alaska for August 15th. According to the White House, US President Trump is open to a three-way summit with Putin and Selenskyj. For the time being, however, Putin is planning a bilateral meeting, says a representative of the White House. In Alaska, the US President wants to seal a peace agreement that provides for area abductions in Ukraine. Selenskyj categorically rejects this. The Ukrainians would not leave a country to the occupiers, said Selenskyj. A majority of European countries have decided on the Ukraine side and rejected a dictation peace without the government’s participation in Kiev. The Federal Government has so far insisted that there should be no agreements about the head of the Ukrainian government.

“There will be an exchange of territories that is an advantage for both sides,” Trump said. According to his words, Ukraine and Russia are about to have an armistice agreement. Russia confirmed Trump’s summit with Putin, but made no information about a possible agreement to terminate the fights. Both presidents would concentrate on discussing options for a “long-term peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis”, explained Putin’s foreign policy advisor Juri Uschakow in Moscow.

Putin, who ordered the attack on the neighboring country in 2022, claims the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Saporischschja and Cherson as well as the crimed peninsula in 2014. The Bloomberg News news agency had reported that American and Russian negotiators were working on an agreement that is supposed to fix the Russian conquests. An employee of the White House described the Bloomberg message as speculation. A spokesman for the Kremlin did not initially respond to the request for a statement.

Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has been trying to improve relations with Russia and end the war. Due to Putin’s refusal to stop the offensive, Trump had threatened with sanctions. According to this, US tariffs should be imposed on Friday against countries that buy Russian oil and thus indirectly contribute to financing the Russian military. By Friday evening, however, it was unclear whether these sanctions would come into force, postponed or lifted.