Leaders from allied countries from Ukraine, united in the so -called volunteer coalition, had a meeting on Sunday, a day before they boarded Washington to find US President Donald Trump.
“The leaders had a positive exchange to coordinate before the meeting tomorrow with President Trump,” said European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podestà.
The spokesman detailed that “key questions” were discussed such as “the need to end the killing in Ukraine, the commitment to maintain all the pressure on Russia through sanctions.”
Moreover, “the principle that it is Ukraine who should make decisions about its territory and the crucial theme of solid security guarantees that protect the vital interests of Ukraine and Europe in security.”
In turn, the president of the European Council, António Costa, defended during the same meeting that “if a ceasefire is not agreed, the EU and the United States should increase pressure on Russia,” according to its publication in X.
Costa also stressed that “Ukraine’s sovereign law to determine its conditions for peace must be respected.”
European Commission Chairman Von Der Leyen, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – also present at the meeting from Brussels – defended hours earlier during a joint press conference that decisions on Ukraine’s future without Kiev’s participation can be made.
Both will travel to Washington to meet with Trump in the White House, accompanied by German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz; French President Emmanuel Macron; British Prime Minister Keir Strmer; The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The purpose of the trip is to find out in detail about last Friday’s conversations between Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The meeting between Trump and Putin ended without agreement on peace in Ukraine, although the Republican advanced the possibility of making a trilateral dome that would include the Ukrainian President to achieve a definitive solution to the conflict.
USA no longer discard sanctions to Russia
In addition to the European meeting on Sunday, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he did not rule out the imposition of more economic sanctions on Russia if Putin did not show his commitment to a lasting peace agreement to Ukraine, although he would have negatively influenced the process.
“As soon as President Donald Trump) takes these measures, all conversations will be interrupted,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC.
The head of American diplomacy, present at the meeting of about three hours between Trump and Putin last Friday in Alaska, warned that if the pressure on Moscow increases, “no one will be left in the world to talk to the Russians and try to feel at the table to reach a peace agreement.”
Trump threatened to reach Russia with even more sanctions than those who already weigh on the country after the Ukraine invasion in 2022 and has announced several deadlines, although so far, he has no retaliation against the Russian economy.
Asked if these warnings were equivalent to empty threats, Rubio replied that all the sanctions imposed before Trump took office in January were still in force.
“If we cannot reach an agreement at some point, there will be consequences, not only the continuation of war, but also the maintenance of all these sanctions and, potentially, new additional sanctions. But what we are trying to do now is to end the war,” he added.
Regarding Trump’s change of stance, which now argues to reach a total peace agreement rather than an initial ceasefire, the secretary of state stated that although a temporary stoppage of hostilities is not “discarded”, seeking a lasting pact is the best way to end conflict.
“Now, if a ceasefire is needed on the way, well, we defend this,” added Rubio, who stressed that “unfortunately, the Russians so far have not agreed.”
