Europe will strengthen support for Ukraine, but demands participation in negotiations - statement

The foreign ministers of Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany and the European Union have declared their readiness to strengthen support for Ukraine and insist on Europe's participation in future negotiations to end the war.

It was reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Following the security talks in Paris, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha secured the support of European allies. The joint statement speaks of the commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

"We share the goal to keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached. A peace that guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own," the statement says.

The European ministers emphasize that security guarantees for Ukraine must be "strong", and any negotiations to end the war must take place with the participation of both Kyiv and Brussels.

"Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations," the ministers stressed.

The statement also emphasizes that "A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security," and the security of the European continent is a shared responsibility.

Negotiations on interaction with the Trump administration

At the talks in Paris, Sybiha and his European colleagues discussed interaction with the new U.S. administration.

The Ukrainian minister emphasized the importance of adhering to the principles of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" and "nothing about Europe without Europe."

"Ukraine has had too many bad deals in the past. Budapest in 1994. Bucharest in 2008. Minsk in 2015. The conclusion is simple: no security arrangements at the expense of Ukraine or its security will bring reliable security to the Euro-Atlantic community. With this negative experience behind us, we seek instead a good deal that will bring sustainable security and a truly just peace. Such a result can only be achieved from a position of strength," said Sybiha.

Comprehensive security guarantees

Sybiha stressed that to prevent new russian aggression, "comprehensive security guarantees" are necessary, including:

• total sanctions pressure on the russian federation,
• isolation of the aggressor country,
• strengthening of Ukraine's defense capabilities,
• scaling up European defense production,
• involving military contingents of partners to deter russia.

Following the talks, the allies confirmed their readiness to maintain and strengthen support for Ukraine, regardless of any circumstances. An agreement was also reached to work together with the United States to establish "a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine and long-term security in Europe."

Recall that Zelenskyy considers NATO security guarantees for Ukraine to be the cheapest for Europe, the United States and the russian federation.

In addition, Zelenskyy called for the return of nuclear weapons to Ukraine until the country is accepted into NATO.