President Alexander Stubb together with six other European leaders on Sunday said that the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Council President Ursula von der Leyen and Stubb issued a joint statement on Peace for Ukraine ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, said the Finnish President Office on Sunday.
“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the European leaders said in the statement.
They welcomed 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.
“We are convinced that only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed,” the leaders observed.
The leaders expressed their readiness to support this work diplomatically as well as by upholding their 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.
“We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” the statement said.
They agreed that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement added.
They reiterated that Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Budapest Memorandum, and successive Russian commitments and underlined their unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Trump said on August 8 that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
