EU chases Trump on Ukraine and tries to put up some stakes
The European Union is forced to once again chase after Donald Trump on Ukraine and has no choice but to go along with the US proposal, while attempting to place ‘stakes’. This is basically the line that emerged on the sidelines of the G20 in Johannesburg, where European Council President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen convened a meeting of the so-called ‘willing ones’.
Thirteen guests were present at the table: in addition to Costa and von der Leyen, there were Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In the statement, which was approved by the leaders present, it is declared that they “welcome the continued efforts of the United States to bring peace to Ukraine” and acknowledge that “the initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace”. It is, however, ‘a foundation that will require further work’. That declared, the ‘willing ones’ do, however, test to set some ‘stakes’ to limit the damage. Thus, they write, ‘we are ready to engage to ensure that a future peace is sustainable’ but ‘we are clear on the principle that borders must not be alterd by force’. The leaders declare they are ‘also concerned about the proposed limitations on the Ukrainian armed forces, which would build Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks’. They also do not like the fact that the American proposal essentially goes over the heads of the Europeans. Thus, they clarify, ‘the implementation of the EU and NATO elements would require the consent of EU and NATO members respectively’. That declared, the statement reiterates ‘the strength of our continued support for Ukraine’ with a commitment to continue ‘working closely with Ukraine and the United States’. A summit of EU members is scheduled for Monday in Luanda, Angola, on the sidelines of the summit with the African Union.
Costa: Extraordinary EU leaders meeting in Angola on Monday
“The work continues. I have invited all 27 EU leaders to an extraordinary meeting on Ukraine, to be held on the sidelines of the EU-African Union summit in Luanda on Monday”. European Council President Antonio Costa wrote this on social media after convening a meeting on Ukraine of several European and Western leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 summit in Johannesburg. “The US 28-point draft plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace,” he reiterates: “We are ready to engage to ensure that a future peace is sustainable.”
Zelensky: informed Polish Tusk and other leaders on diplomatic work with US
The Ukrainian president held several talks with several leaders of the Baltic States and Northern Europe, as well as with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. “We shared details of our diplomatic work with the US and Europe,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media X. “It is important for us that all partners who have been at our side since the launchning of this war are informed about the situation,” he explained, “We are coordinating to involve Europe in the process. Zelensky also reiterated that ‘since the first days of this war, Ukraine has sought a dignified peace like no other, and we are doing everything we can to work as concretely as possible’. In his one-to-one conversation with Schoof, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands also announced that ‘one of the energy packages, consisting of various equipment, including transformers, is already on its way to Ukraine’.
