LONDON

The foreign ministers of Europe’s largest EU member states gathered in London on Monday for a high-level diplomatic meeting to bolster support for embattled Ukraine and European security in general.

The talks, hosted by UK Foreign Secretary David, which included representatives from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland, along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The central focus of the meeting was strengthening support for Ukraine and reinforcing broader European security cooperation, as the continent continues to confront significant geopolitical threats.

"We welcomed US-led peace efforts and the prospect of further talks this week.  So far, Russia has not shown any serious intent to make progress. It must do so without delay. We joined Ukraine in calling for an immediate, full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just, comprehensive and lasting peace," they said in a joint statement after the meeting.

"Any peace will only last if it is based on international law including the UN Charter and Ukraine is able to deter and defend against any future Russian attack," it added.

"We are committed to robust security guarantees for Ukraine," the statement read, outlining plans for a potential coalition of reassurance forces and new recovery commitments to be discussed at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome this July.

The foreign ministers also vowed to tighten sanctions on Russia: "We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia’s ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy. We will keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilized until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage caused."

The meeting came on the eve of the Russian and Ukrainian sides meeting in Istanbul on Thursday for their first peace talks in over three years.