European leaders hold fresh talks on Ukraine
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders (GettyImages)
After another round of consultations on the war in Ukraine, European leaders announced signs of progress in the peace process and cautious grounds for optimism, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to him, "further consultations" took place with the participation of European and Canadian partners.
"We are moving the peace process forward. Transparency and honesty are now required from everyone – including Russia," Merz stresses.
At the same time, according to Sky News, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also spoke of positive signals after the talks. According to him, there are reasons to believe that the war may end sooner than expected.
"Peace is on the horizon. There is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly," Tusk says at a meeting of the Polish government.
At the same time, the Polish Prime Minister warns against excessive optimism, stressing that this is only a hope, not a guaranteed result.
"But it is still a hope, far from 100% certain," he concludes.
Zelenskyy-Trump meeting in Florida and Europe's reaction
European leaders closely followed the talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, which took place on December 28 in Florida and were devoted to a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine.
Several key points emerged from the meeting: the issue of Donbas was not finally agreed upon, while Trump announced concessions from Moscow regarding the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. According to the parties, security guarantees for Ukraine are 100% ready, while the peace plan itself is about 90% ready.
Trump intends to create a special working group of senior US officials to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Russia.
President Zelensky said that the issues discussed in the US are expected to be finalized next week. In addition, a visit by European and Ukrainian delegations to Washington is planned for January.
After their meeting in Florida, Zelenskyy and Trump held telephone conversations with European leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reported good progress during the joint discussions.
For more details on the negotiations in Mar-a-Lago, see the RBC-Ukraine report.
