Merz, Meloni, von der Leyen and Stubb generally satisfied with conversation with Trump about his communication with Putin
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb briefly and generally commented on the social network X about their conversation with US President Donald Trump, in which he shared the results of a two-hour conversation with Vladimir Putin on Monday.
"They are working on the immediate start of negotiations between the parties, which could lead to a ceasefire as soon as possible and create the conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the head of the Italian government said after the conversation, which was also attended by the presidents of France and Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
She also spoke about Pope Leo XIV's proposal to make the Vatican a venue for future multilateral negotiations.
"In this regard, the readiness of the Holy Father to host negotiations in the Vatican was positively assessed. Italy is ready to contribute to facilitating contacts and working for peace," Meloni said.
After a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured of continued assistance to Ukraine, as well as continued pressure on Russia to end the war.
"Europe and America are very united here: We will closely accompany Ukraine on the path to a ceasefire. Europe will increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions. We agreed on this with the US President after his talks with Putin," Merz wrote on the social network X.
Von der Leyen called the conversation with Trump a good one.
"I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine. It’s important that the US stays engaged. We will continue to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine," added the head of the European Commission.
"We discussed the ongoing negotiations, ceasefire, and steps towards a just and lasting peace. It is important to continue close coordination between the United States and Europe," in turn, wrote Finnish President Stubb.
Macron has not yet commented on the conversation, but posted a joint statement by the leaders of Great Britain, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
Finally, Trump himself, after talks with Putin, Zelenskyy and European leaders, stated in a public speech in Washington that he had managed to achieve "some progress" in negotiations with Putin.
Zelenskyy stressed at a press conference after this conversation that Ukraine will not withdraw troops from part of its own territory and will not succumb to Russian ultimatums.
The Ukrainian president stressed that Trump believes that the most important thing is direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, while Kyiv is considering the possibility of a joint meeting of the US, Ukraine, Russia and EU countries, and such a meeting could take place in Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland.
Zelenskyy again emphasized that in order to demonstrate its true readiness to end the war, Russia must agree to a ceasefire as a first step.
He also stressed that the US president was asked not to make any decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.
"We are waiting for the proposals that Russia will present. If the Russian side proposes a memorandum, we will be able to formulate our vision," the Ukrainian president said.
