Talks were held in Washington with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the United States Donald Trump, President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
This meeting was preceded by bilateral negotiations between the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States. The Head of State emphasized that one of the main topics of discussion with President Trump was security guarantees.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine’s security depends on all the leaders present. The President noted the strong signal from the United States regarding its readiness to take part in guaranteeing security and the importance of the support demonstrated today by Europe. Ukraine, in particular, views accession to the EU as part of its security guarantees.
The talks also focused on the work of the Coalition of the Willing and the specific security guarantees each of its more than 30 member states is ready to provide.
During the meeting, the leaders began a substantive discussion of the details of security guarantees. As a result, certain projects are already in place, and the relevant teams will now be working on them intensively. Everything is to be formalized within ten days.
“It is very important for us that this must not be a pause in fighting, but a real peace that can be safeguarded by the security guarantees of our partners,” said the President of Ukraine.
Other key topics included the release of prisoners and the return of children abducted by Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for her attention to this issue and for the letter she conveyed to Vladimir Putin. The Presidents of Ukraine and the United States agreed to work on preparing an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
The participants also discussed the importance of holding a meeting with the Russian side at the level of leaders. All partners agreed that only such a format could resolve the most sensitive issues.
According to the U.S. President, during the meeting in Alaska Vladimir Putin agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine.
“I am optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine,” noted Donald Trump.
The NATO Secretary General thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his leadership and Donald Trump for his personal efforts. Mark Rutte emphasized the importance of stopping the killings and strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
“Let us do the maximum we can now. I am confident that from today we will move toward ending this as soon as possible,” he stressed.
The President of the European Commission emphasized the participants’ readiness to work on security guarantees for Ukraine.
“And I am also glad that you mentioned the thousands of abducted children. As a mother and grandmother, I know how important it is for every child to return home,” added Ursula von der Leyen.
The German Chancellor emphasized that before further negotiations, a key step is a ceasefire to enable work on a peace agreement.
“I cannot imagine that the next meeting will take place without a ceasefire. So let us work on this. And let us press Russia. Because the ceasefire and the seriousness of the negotiations depend on how we do it,” said Friedrich Merz.
The President of the Council of Ministers of Italy stressed that peace and justice can be achieved only in unity.
“We will discuss security guarantees: how to ensure that this does not happen again. We will begin discussions with a proposal for a model similar to Article 5 of NATO,” said Giorgia Meloni.
The President of France also emphasized that a ceasefire is necessary to stop the killings. Another essential element, he noted, is security guarantees.
“When we speak of security guarantees, we are speaking of security for the entire European continent. The first guarantee is a capable Ukrainian army for the coming years and decades. And also the corresponding commitments on the part of all of us,” stated Emmanuel Macron.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom expressed confidence that today’s meeting could be a historic step in terms of security.
“We want peace. The war has a huge impact, first of all on Ukrainians, who hold the front line. But it also affects Europe, including the United Kingdom,” said Keir Starmer.
The President of Finland stressed that the reason for his presence at the negotiating table is that his country shares a long border with Russia and has its own historical experience dating back to World War II.
“We found a solution in 1944. And I am confident that we will be able to find a solution in 2025 to end Russia’s war of aggression. The situation is very difficult. But that is why we are here,” concluded Alexander Stubb.
In addition, the parties discussed the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that this is a major opportunity for future investment, which at the same time is an element of the path to peace.
The President of Ukraine thanked all the leaders present who came to Washington personally to demonstrate their support for our country.
