BRUSSELS: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she held talks with the British and French leaders this weekend and all had pledged "unflinching" support for Ukraine ahead of the third anniversary of its war with Russia. "We discussed our unflinching support to Ukraine, financially and militarily," Von der Leyen said of her telephone discussions with France's President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The EU chief said in a post on the X platform she had "good exchanges" with two key European leaders. "We shared updates on our contacts with US partners and discussed plans for the defence and security of our continent," she said amid growing US-Europe tensions on the Ukraine conflict and funding for Nato.
Macron and Starmer are both due in Washington this week for talks with US President Donald Trump. According to Downing Street, Starmer and von der Leyen agreed on the importance of offering guarantees for a just and durable peace in Ukraine when they spoke on Saturday. European states are concerned that, in his desire to end the conflict, Trump will offer Moscow favourable conditions without providing Kyiv with security guarantees while keeping European powers away from negotiations. To mark the third anniversary of the attack, Starmer said in an opinion piece for The Sun on Sunday newspaper that "it is in UK and US interests to stand by Ukraine with security guarantee."
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Sunday, on the eve of a key United Nations vote, for a Ukraine peace deal that respects the country's "territorial integrity." "I reaffirm the urgent need for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace -- one that fully upholds Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders," Guterres said in a statement. The Security Council vote will be on a US-backed draft resolution that makes no mention of Ukraine's territorial integrity. "Monday 24 February marks three years since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale attack of Ukraine, in clear violation of the United Nations Charter and international law," the UN chief said. "Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, the war in Ukraine stands as a grave threat not only to the peace and security of Europe but also to the very foundations and core principles of the United Nations," Guterres said. He saluted "all efforts towards achieving a just and inclusive peace."
The statement comes as US President Donald Trump has adopted a tougher stance on Kyiv while taking a friendlier tone toward Moscow. The United States wants the Security Council and General Assembly to vote on a short text calling for a "swift end" to the devastating conflict, while making no mention of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Ukraine and its European allies are seeking a vote in the General Assembly on a text that repeats earlier demands for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and an end to Russia's attacks on its neighbour. Similar resolutions have been voted on since Russia's attack on February 24, 2022, and each has passed the General Assembly by overwhelming majorities, with support from the US administration of then president Joe Biden.
The Kremlin on Sunday hailed dialogue between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin -- two "extraordinary" presidents -- as "promising", and vowed it would "never" give up territory seized in eastern Ukraine. Top Russian and US officials then met in Saudi Arabia last week to discuss a "restoration" of ties and start a discussion on a possible Ukraine ceasefire -- all without the involvement of Kyiv or Europe. "This is a dialogue between two extraordinary presidents," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV on Sunday. "That's promising," he added.
"It is important that nothing prevents us from realising the political will of the two heads of state." Trump's overtures to Moscow have triggered alarm in Kyiv and across Europe. But it is unclear whether his moves will be able to bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to a truce. — AFP
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