"The decision on territories will be made by the people of Ukraine" - joint statement of European leaders
Kyiv • UNN
European leaders, in a joint statement, agreed with Trump's peace plan for Ukraine, emphasizing the inviolability of borders. They called on Russia for negotiations and readiness for a ceasefire.
International borders are inviolable and cannot be revised by force. Decisions on territorial issues must be made by the people of Ukraine after effective security guarantees are implemented. This is stated in a joint statement by European leaders, reports UNN.
Details
The statement, the text of which was published on Monday, December 15, was adopted by the presidents of the European Council, António Costa, the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the presidents of Finland, Alexander Stubb, France, Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the prime ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, Norway, Jonas Støre, Poland, Donald Tusk, Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, and the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer.
In the document, the leaders noted progress in peace efforts regarding Ukraine, agreed on joint actions by the US, Ukraine, and Europe to preserve its sovereignty and security, and emphasized Ukraine's key role for Euro-Atlantic stability and a peaceful future.
The leaders welcomed the significant progress in President Trump's efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also noted the close cooperation between the teams of President Zelenskyy and President Trump, as well as the European teams, over the past days and weeks. The leaders agreed to work together with President Trump and President Zelenskyy to achieve a lasting peace that preserves Ukraine's sovereignty and Europe's security.
The parties agreed to work together to provide reliable security guarantees and measures to support Ukraine's economic recovery within the framework of a peace agreement. This will include the following commitments:
• Provide sustained and significant support to Ukraine to build up its Armed Forces, which must remain at a peacetime strength of 800,000 personnel, to be capable of deterring conflicts and defending Ukraine's territory.
• A European "multinational force for Ukraine," formed from contributions from states willing to join within the Coalition of the Willing, with US support. It will contribute to the restoration of Ukrainian forces, ensuring the security of Ukrainian skies, and supporting safer navigation, including through activities on Ukrainian territory.
• A US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism with international participation for early warning of any future attack, accountability, and response to any violations, as well as an escalation prevention mechanism to work on mutual de-escalation steps for the benefit of all parties.
• Take measures to restore peace and security in the event of a future armed attack. Such measures may include the use of armed force, intelligence and logistical assistance, economic and diplomatic actions.
• Investing in Ukraine's future prosperity, including by providing significant resources for recovery and reconstruction, concluding mutually beneficial trade agreements, and taking into account the need to compensate Ukraine for damages caused by Russia. In this context, Russia's sovereign assets in the European Union have been frozen.
• Strong support for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
European leaders expressed support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged to support any decisions he makes regarding Ukrainian issues.
They emphasized that international borders should not be changed by force.
They reaffirmed that international borders cannot be changed by force. Decisions on territories belong to the people of Ukraine after reliable security guarantees are effectively implemented. They agreed that some issues would have to be resolved in the final stages of negotiations and emphasized their readiness to support President Zelenskyy if consultations with the people are needed.
They also stated that Russia must now demonstrate its readiness to work towards achieving a lasting peace.
The responsibility now lies with Russia to demonstrate its readiness to work towards a lasting peace by agreeing to President Trump's peace plan and demonstrating its commitment to ending hostilities by agreeing to a ceasefire.
They agreed to continue increasing pressure on Russia to encourage Moscow to engage in serious negotiations.
All of them committed to working towards rapid further progress in the coming days and weeks with the aim of jointly finalizing and approving a lasting peace agreement. The leaders reaffirmed their strong support for President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in their struggle against Russia's illegal invasion and in achieving a just and lasting peace.
This statement remains open for other countries to join.