"Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations,” seven European countries and the European Commission said in a joint statement after a foreign ministers meeting in Paris, according to Guardian.
“Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security,” the statement said, adding that the European powers were looking forward to discussing the way ahead with their American allies.
The meeting took place after US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the pair were ready to immediately begin negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
The rapid developments have worried Europe, with Putin and Trump appearing to be negotiating the future of the continent’s security over the heads of European leaders themselves. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is due to meet with dozens of Nato ministers in Brussels on Thursday, after meeting a Ukraine contact group of defence ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.
“There will be no just and lasting peace in Ukraine without the participation of Europeans,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the meeting of ministers from France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Ukraine and the European Commission on Wednesday.
MNA
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