LONDON

European leaders have welcomed US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war but reiterated the need that “a diplomatic solution must protect the “vital security interests" of Ukraine and the continent.

"We welcome President Trump’s work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine," European leaders, as well as the EU, said in a statement on Saturday.

Only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support for Ukraine, and pressure on the Russia to end its war can succeed, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted in the statement.

It came ahead of Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the US state of Alaska next Friday to discuss the future of the Ukraine war.

"We stand ready to support this work diplomatically as well as by upholding our substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, including through the work of the Coalition of the Willing, and by upholding and imposing restrictive measures against the Russian Federation," it said.

The statement said the leaders agreed that vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," it said.

Reiterating their commitment to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force, the leaders said the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.

"We continue to stand firmly by the side of Ukraine. We are united as Europeans and determined to jointly promote our interests," it added.

The statement came after Trump said Friday that "there will be some swapping of territories" to achieve a peace deal.

Responding to the joint statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday morning that Ukraine "values and fully supports" the joint statement issued by European leaders.

"The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations," Zelenskyy said on X.