Ukraine at ‘critical moment’ in war; European allies ramp up Russia pressure
Ukraine’s European allies on Monday said the war was at a “critical moment” as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was preparing to share a revised peace plan with the United States.
Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron in London as European leaders strive to ensure that Ukraine’s territorial integrity and future security are not jeopardized in the face of increasing US pressure.
In a statement following the meeting, Starmer’s office said the leaders discussed “the importance of US-led peace talks for European security” and supported the progress made so far.
“Leaders underlined the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine with robust security guarantees,” Starmer’s representatives said. he added. “Leaders agreed that Europe should stand by Ukraine and strengthen its ability to defend against relentless attacks while diplomatic efforts continue.”
Starmer, Merz, Macron and Zelenskyy also discussed the “positive progress” made on using frozen Russian assets to support the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, last week proposed using cash from the balances of European financial institutions holding frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia to support Ukraine with a “Compensation Loan”. He also discussed borrowing from international markets, offering member states an alternative to using Russian capital.
The British prime minister’s office noted that those present at Monday’s meeting also joined a call with other European leaders after the initial talks.
“The leaders all agree that this is a critical moment and we must continue to increase our support for Ukraine and the economic pressure on Putin to put an end to this barbaric war,” the spokesman said.
US support is vital
While European leaders reiterated their support for Kiev, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine also remains dependent on input from Washington.
“There are some things we can’t handle without the Americans, there are some things we can’t handle without Europe, so we need to make some important decisions,” he told a news conference.
But Merz was somewhat cautious about US negotiators making an imminent breakthrough that would be acceptable to both Ukraine and the European continent.
“This could be a defining time for all of us,” he told reporters. “We are trying to continue our support for Ukraine, while also seeing these talks and decisions between Moscow and the United States, I look forward to hearing from you.” [Zelenskyy] What could be the outcome of these talks?”
Britain and France are among the leading proponents of this proposal. “Coalition of Volunteers” A group of countries that could be part of a “reassurance force” that helps guarantee security in post-war Ukraine.
According to media reports, Ukraine is expected to share its revised peace plan with the United States after the London talks.
According to Sky News, Zelenskyy said that the updated plan consists of 20 articles after “the removal of some obvious anti-Ukrainian points”. He added that he would share the revised plan with the United States today.
On Sunday, Trump claimed that Zelenskyy had not yet read the latest US-backed peace plan, but it was unclear which version Trump was referring to.
“We all know that the fate of this country is the fate of Europe,” Merz said on Monday. he added. “No one should doubt our support for Ukraine. I’m skeptical about some of the details we see in the documents from the US side, but we need to talk about it, that’s why we’re here.”
Anna Rosenberg, head of geopolitics at the Amundi Investment Institute, told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Tuesday that negotiations to end the war appear to be “going in circles.”
“There’s a lot of talk back and forth,” he said. “Frankly, sometimes I wonder what they keep talking about, because the sticking points are always the same. It’s about the region and it’s about security guarantees, and security guarantees are probably harder than the region, but the region is also difficult for Ukraine.”
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Moscow would seize Ukraine’s critical Donbas region “by force” if Ukraine did not surrender the region voluntarily.
Rosenberg told CNBC on Tuesday that Kiev is unlikely to bow to that pressure.
“The area we are talking about is a critical defense zone for Ukraine, and if Ukraine gives up on this, it will be much easier for Russia to move deeper into Ukraine, because this is a so-called fortress belt of heavy fortifications.”
“Behind this fortress belt there is a plane that you can easily enter with the military. So Ukraine will hold on to that as long as they can. Only when they are confident will they give up the area. There are security guarantees that will give them confidence that there will be no attack in a few months or years.”
—Tasmin Lockwood contributed to this report.
