GENEVA
European leaders on Saturday expressed readiness to support US President Donald Trump's efforts to advance peace talks on Ukraine.
A joint statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Portuguese President António Costa came after Trump debriefed European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Leaders said they welcomed Trump's efforts "to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace."
They also noted Trump's words that "there's no deal until there's a deal," and stressed that the next step must be "further talks including President Zelenskyy, whom he (Trump) will meet soon."
The statement emphasized: "We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support."
"We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump's statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees," the leaders said.
They added that no limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries.
"Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and NATO," they stressed.
The leaders concluded by pledging readiness to uphold the pressure on Russia "as long as the killing in Ukraine continues."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also wrote on the US social media platform X that the bloc is working closely with Zelenskyy and Washington to reach a just and lasting peace.
"Strong security guarantees that protect Ukrainian and European vital security interests are essential," von der Leyen said.
Trump and Putin were upbeat after their more than three-hour closed-door talks in Alaska on Friday, with the Russian leader saying they had come to reach an "understanding."
The summit between the two was the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.