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European capitals have launched a flurry of diplomatic efforts to maintain pressure on Russia and convince US President Donald Trump’s administration not to walk away from Ukraine peace talks.
Multiple calls and meetings took place on Tuesday between European and Ukrainian leaders and senior security officials following Monday’s phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin in which the US president signalled he would leave Russia and Ukraine to settle among themselves the terms for ending the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late on Monday that it was “crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin”.
Tuesday’s discussions focused on ways that European countries could impose fresh sanctions on Russia, potentially without US involvement, and ways in which the White House could be convinced to resume efforts to push for a ceasefire, officials briefed on the talks said.
“We need to find a way to ensure that . . . the US stays involved,” said one of the officials.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that it “is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation”. He said Ukraine was working with its European partners “to ensure that pressure forces Russians to change their behaviour”.
Ukraine is hoping to secure some “joint positions” with European allies, a Ukrainian official briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times.
“We clearlysee that Trump wantsout of the talks,” the Ukrainian official said. “The aim is to keep the Americans in the talks and to find some common view [on] how to secure a ceasefire.”
Zelenskyy’s office said that he had spoken to Finnish President Alexander Stubb and would have several more calls with counterparts across Europe to co-ordinate.
Trump’s two-hour call with Putin on Monday was described by a senior Russian official as having gone so well that the two leaders seemed to not want to say goodbye. Trump then announced that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” start negotiations on preparations for peace talks without the US as a mediator.
Following his call with Putin, Trump phoned Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and the European Commission, who were shocked by what the US president told them about his discussion with the Russian president.
Trump’s rhetoric contrasted sharply with a western ultimatum he had backed earlier this month threatening Putin with additional sanctions if he did not implement a 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine had already agreed to.
“Last week America said that if Russia doesn’t agree on a full and unconditional ceasefire, then there’s going to be consequences,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat.“We want to see those consequences from the US side. We really haven’t seen [US] pressure on Russia from these talks.”
Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur said the EU was supporting new sanctions proposed by US Senator Lindsey Graham, but it was unclear what Trump would do: “So the question is: what will be the message from the White House?”
“Vladimir Putin is obviously continuing to play for time, and you can see that very clearly . . . [he] still does not really seem to be seriously interested in peace,” said Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius as he arrived at EU ministerial meetings in Brussels.
“What the European Union can and must do is tighten the sanctions screw,” he said, but conceded: “This is actually relatively obvious and not so easy at the same time.”
Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s readiness for any negotiation format that delivered results. But if Russia continues to put forward “unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences”.
“There is no doubt that the war must end at the negotiating table,” he said. However, the “proposals on the table must be clear and realistic”.
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