European leaders have joined Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in insisting that any talks on ending the war in Ukraine should start with freezing the current front line, and warned that Russia is not serious about peace.
In a statement signed by 11 leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, they said they 'strongly support' US President Donald Trump's position that 'the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations'.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the idea of halting the conflict at the current contact line, expressing that Moscow is interested in achieving a long-term solution.
The European statement referenced 'Russia's stalling tactics', indicating Moscow's reluctance to negotiate meaningfully.
Trump, known for his conciliatory tone towards Russia, is expected to meet with Putin in Budapest to discuss the situation, although the preliminary meetings between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lavrov have been delayed.
This follows reports that during previous talks, Trump suggested that Ukraine might need to concede territory in the eastern Donbas region as part of a peace agreement, a notion Zelensky has outright rejected.
While Russia occupies the majority of Luhansk, Ukraine retains control over key parts of Donetsk, such as Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. As the situation develops, both European and Ukrainian leaders are concerned about Russia's demands for complete military withdrawal from these regions, which they view as unacceptable.
