Europe, Ukraine Urge Putin to Negotiate Peace, Set Conditions

European leaders and Ukraine have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the war. Germany, France, Britain, and Ukraine released a joint statement after a meeting in London, calling for active participation from the United States and Europe.

The statement outlined five conditions for a "just and lasting peace." These include Putin agreeing to an "immediate and complete ceasefire," with the current front lines serving as the starting point for negotiations. However, the four nations also stressed that international borders must not be changed by force, and Ukraine's right to choose its own security arrangements and alliances must be "unrestricted."

Ukraine must receive "robust and legally binding" security guarantees once a ceasefire is in effect, potentially including the deployment of a multinational force. Russian assets will remain frozen until Russia ends its war of aggression and compensates Ukraine for war damages, according to the statement.

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Sometimes you don't understand what the Russians really want.

European nations also pledged further military support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Discussions on this support are expected at upcoming G7 and NATO summits, as well as meetings of the "Coalition of the Willing." The leaders emphasized the urgent need to strengthen missile defense and the availability of long-range weapons. They also discussed learning from Ukraine's combat experience and expanding long-term industrial cooperation to bolster Europe's own defense.

In a separate interview, Zelenskyy expressed his views on potential discussions with Russia. He noted that Moscow had sent signals about possible talks multiple times, but these always faded. "Sometimes you don't understand what the Russians really want," he said. Zelenskyy believes Putin "wants to win this terrible war" but has recently recognized that his troops have lost the initiative on the battlefield. He stated that all decisions about future events depend "100 percent" on Putin.

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Putin wants to win this terrible war.