Statement by Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Frederiksen,
President Stubb, President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime
Minister Schoof, Prime Minister Støre, Prime Minister Tusk, Prime
Minister Kristersson, Prime Minister Starmer, as well as
President Costa and President von der Leyen on Peace for Ukraine.
The Leaders welcomed significant progress on President Trump's
efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also
welcomed the close work between President Zelenskyy's and
President Trump's teams as well as European teams over the recent
days and weeks. They agreed to work together with President Trump
and President Zelenskyy to get to a lasting peace which preserves
Ukrainian sovereignty and European security. Leaders appreciated
the strong convergence between the United States, Ukraine and
Europe.
Leaders agreed that ensuring the security, sovereignty, and
prosperity of Ukraine was integral for wider Euro-Atlantic
security. They were clear that Ukraine and its people deserved a
prosperous, independent, and sovereign future, free from fear of
future Russian aggression.
Both the US and European leaders committed to work together to
provide robust security guarantees and economic recovery support
measures for Ukraine in the context of an agreement on ending the
war. This would include commitments to:
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Provide sustained and significant support to Ukraine to build
its armed forces, which should remain at a peacetime level of
800,000 to be able to deter conflict and defend Ukraine's
territory.
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A European-led ‘multinational force Ukraine' made up from
contributions from willing nations within the framework of
the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the US. It will
assist in the regeneration of Ukraine's forces, in securing
Ukraine's skies, and in supporting safer seas, including
through operating inside Ukraine.
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A US led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism with
international participation to provide early warning of any
future attack and attribute and respond to any breaches along
with a deconfliction mechanism to work on mutual deescalatory
actions that can be taken to benefit all parties.
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A legally binding commitment, subject to national procedures,
to take measures to restore peace and security in the case of
a future armed attack. These measures may include armed
force, intelligence and logistical assistance, economic and
diplomatic actions.
-
Invest in the future prosperity of Ukraine, including making
major resources available for recovery and reconstruction,
mutually beneficial trade agreements, and taking into account
the need for Russia to compensate Ukraine for the damage
caused. In this vein, Russian sovereign assets in the
European Union have been immobilised.
-
Strongly support Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
The leaders expressed their support for President Zelenskyy and
agreed to support whatever decisions he ultimately makes on
specific Ukrainian issues. They reaffirmed that international
borders must not be changed by force. Decisions on territory are
for the people of Ukraine, once robust security guarantees are
effectively in place. They agreed that some issues would need to
be resolved in the final stages of negotiations. They underlined
that they would support President Zelenskyy to consult his people
if needed.
They were clear that as in any deal, nothing is agreed until
everything is agreed and that all parties must work intensively
towards a solution that could assure a lasting end to the
fighting.
They were also clear that any deal should protect the long-term
security and unity of the Euro-Atlantic and the role of NATO in
providing robust deterrence. They stated that any elements
affecting the EU and NATO will be discussed among EU and NATO
members respectively.
It is now incumbent upon Russia to show willingness to work
towards a lasting peace by agreeing to President Trump's peace
plan and to demonstrate their commitment to end the fighting by
agreeing to a ceasefire. Leaders agreed to continue to increase
pressure on Russia to bring Moscow to negotiate in earnest.
They all committed to work on rapid further progress in the
coming days and weeks to jointly conclude and endorse an
agreement for a lasting peace. They reaffirmed their strong
support for President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in
their fight against Russia's illegal invasion and in delivering a
just and lasting peace.
This statement remains open for other countries to join.
