British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz today led the virtual meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”, a group of European leaders gathered to advocate for a peace agreement for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the video conference from Brussels, where he spent the afternoon in the company of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was the first to speak after the meeting.
“During the conversation, I emphasized that to bring peace, pressure must be directed at the aggressor, not the victim,” Sikorski said.
Following today’s virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” other statements have come from European leaders who participated in talks aimed at protecting the peace agreement for Ukraine.
European Council President Antonio Costa told the group that, if a ceasefire is not reached, the European Union and the United States should increase pressure on Russia.
“Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine its own terms for peace must be respected,” Costa said in X.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said there was a “strong consensus among coalition countries on the need to continue supporting Ukraine,” while Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the coalition agreed that the immediate priority should be to stop the killings.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not offering peace, but capitulation.
“Putin is not offering peace, but capitulation. The only ones who can talk about Ukrainian territories are the Ukrainian authorities,” he said.
According to him, European leaders plan to ask President Donald Trump to what extent he is willing to commit to security guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron also stressed that for long-term peace, Ukraine needs a strong army.
The meeting concluded ahead of a number of European leaders’ trip to Washington tomorrow, where they will join Zelensky for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.