In Yerevan, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with partners in the Washington format.
The meeting was attended by President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The discussion focused in detail on strengthening air defense: the production of necessary European systems and missiles, support for the PURL initiative, and the ways to equip Europe with its own anti-ballistic capabilities. The President of Ukraine stressed that Europe must have its own capacity to respond to ballistic threats.
Prior to the meeting, Mark Carney announced an additional USD 200 million for the PURL initiative. Mark Rutte assured that the provision of anti‑ballistic missiles to Ukraine remains consistent with earlier arrangements.
Diplomacy was addressed in a very substantive manner. The President noted a clear pause in trilateral negotiations caused by the war in Iran.
The leaders discussed how to reinvigorate the negotiation process, contacts with the United States, and Europe’s role. The participants share a common view: Europe’s positions must be heard and taken into account, and therefore Europe must have a place at the negotiating table.
Particular attention was paid to the situation on the front line. The President informed partners about Russian losses, which reach 35,000 personnel per month. All partners noted that Ukraine’s positions are now significantly stronger, as well as Ukraine’s work with countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region.
The Head of State also briefed partners on threats from Russia, based on Ukrainian intelligence data.
In addition, they discussed Ukraine’s energy support and the protection of energy infrastructure. The President thanked the European Union for unblocking a financial package of EUR 90 billion. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine expects the funds to start arriving soon. Part of them will be directed to the rapid implementation of resilience plans in preparation for winter.
