European leaders meeting on the sidelines of the EU-Africa summit in Angola have welcomed what they called the “new momentum” in peace talks over Ukraine, while insisting that key principles on territory and sovereignty must be upheld. The discussions centred on a revised framework following weekend negotiations in Geneva, with several leaders emphasising that significant hurdles remain.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “while work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward”, adding that only Ukraine, as a sovereign country, can make decisions regarding its future. European Council President António Costa echoed that the direction was positive, but noted that some issues still need to be solved and that any deal affecting the EU would require the bloc’s full involvement.
National leaders offered a more cautious tone. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that any settlement must “strengthen, not weaken, our security” and said parts of the plan needed rewriting. He also pushed for using frozen Russian assets, arguing that “it cannot be the case that Europe ends up paying for Russia’s actions.” Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Russia “must be forced to the negotiating table” and that Moscow must see that “aggression never pays off.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz conceded that “peace in Ukraine won’t happen overnight”, emphasising the need to bring Russia more closely into further talks. Meanwhile, Ukraine has significantly amended the original US peace plan, removing some of Russia’s maximalist demands, according to people familiar with the negotiations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet Donald Trump in the White House later this week, with a flurry of calls between Kyiv and Washington underway.
US President Donald Trump said “something good just may be happening” and reported “big progress” in the talks. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was working with the US to find “compromises that strengthen, not weaken, us” and would continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression can be overlooked. The coming days are expected to reveal which European counterproposals survive in the latest draft after the Geneva talks.
