Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEuropean leaders vow support for Ukraine after Trump-Putin talks, focusing on peace and security guarantees while maintaining pressure on Russia.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Several European leaders on Saturday jointly pledged to continue support for Ukraine and maintain pressure on Russia until the war in Ukraine ends, after a summit in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The joint statement from leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was issued after Trump briefed them on his talks with Putin.
It said the next step must be talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and that they were ready to work with Trump and Zelenskiy towards a three-way summit with European support.
Trump said after his talks with Putin that Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia.
He said he had agreed with the Russian leader that the best way to do this was to go straight to a peace settlement rather than via a ceasefire, something hitherto opposed by Kyiv and its European allies.
The European statement - also signed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Council President Antonio Costa - said Ukraine must have "ironclad" security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity.
"It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force.
"Our support to Ukraine will continue. We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace," the statement said.
"As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace."
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
A joint statement is a formal declaration made by two or more parties, often outlining shared positions or commitments on specific issues.
Economic sanctions are restrictive measures imposed by countries to influence or punish another nation's behavior, often involving trade restrictions or financial penalties.
Territorial integrity refers to the principle under international law that a state's borders should not be violated or altered without consent.
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