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The leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in calling for direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, according to a joint statement issued following defence talks in London on Sunday.
Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street for talks as Russia’s war has stretched into its fifth year.
The leaders “supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with active US and European participation, to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations”, they said.
“The current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations,” it said, adding that “international borders must not be changed by force.”
Zelenskyy had proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter on Thursday.
Putin ruled out the move, saying he saw “no point” in meeting Zelensky until a possible peace deal had been agreed.
The leaders also underlined the urgent need to scale up the production of interceptors and co-develop anti-ballistic missile and deep strike capabilities.”
They condemned Russia’s “large-scale missile and drone attacks — including the repeated use of the Oreshnik missiles — on Ukrainian cities with a tragic toll on civilians.”
Kyiv has been asking its Western allies for more ammunition deliveries for its air defences as Ukraine endures daily Russian strikes. Zelenskyy is seeking ways for the allies to further pressure Russia to end the fighting.
The UK, France and Germany, the so-called E3 group of European nations, have been prominent backers of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The UK and France lead the “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.
Additional sources • AP, AFP