“Ukraine’s ability to defend itself is part of any security guarantee.” EU leaders issue joint statement ahead of Putin-Trump meeting

European Union leaders issued a joint statement welcoming US President Donald Trumpʼs efforts to end Russiaʼs war against Ukraine, but stressing that Ukraine must be able to defend itself.

The statement was published on the website of the Council of the EU.

They emphasized that a just and lasting peace must be based on respect for international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-permission to change international borders by force.

"The people of Ukraine have the right to freely determine their future. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine. Meaningful negotiations can only take place under conditions of a ceasefire or a reduction in the intensity of hostilities," the statement said.

European leaders stressed that Russiaʼs aggression against Ukraine has broader implications for European and international security. In their view, a diplomatic solution must protect the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe.

The European Union has assured that, in coordination with the United States and other like-minded partners, it will continue to provide political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine, which is exercising its inalienable right to self-defense. It will also continue to impose restrictions against the Russian Federation.

“Ukraine’s ability to effectively defend itself is an integral part of any future security guarantees. [...] The European Union underlines Ukraine’s inalienable right to choose its own destiny and will continue to support it on its path to EU membership,” the bloc’s leaders concluded.

At the end of the statement, it is clarified that Hungary did not sign it. Prime Minister Viktor Orban explained this by saying that the statement seemed to be trying to set conditions for a meeting to which EU leaders were not even invited.

"The very fact that the EU has been left out is quite sad. The only thing that could make the situation worse is if we started giving instructions from the bench. The only sensible step for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, following the example of the US-Russia meeting," he added.

What preceded

The US President Donald Trump reported on August 9 that he will meet with Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska. It is expected that the main topic of the talks will be a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine. Russia also announced that the next meeting between Putin and Trump will take place on Russian territory.

Earlier, on August 6, Trumpʼs special representative Steve Witkoff visited Moscow. Media reported that at this meeting, Putin presented him with his ceasefire plan, which envisages a ceasefire in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region and a freeze in hostilities.

The Wall Street Journal reported that on August 6, Putin presented the Trump administration with a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. In the first phase, Ukraine would withdraw troops from the Donetsk region and freeze the front line. In the second phase, Putin and Trump would agree on a final peace plan, which would then be discussed with Zelensky.

A WSJ source says that Putin called for a halt to the war on the current lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

European partners and Ukraine responded to Putinʼs plan with a counter-proposal on August 9. It states that the parties must achieve a ceasefire before any other steps can be taken.

And the exchange of territories can only be carried out on a reciprocal basis, meaning that if Ukraine withdraws troops from some regions, Russia must withdraw troops from others. Ukraineʼs territorial concessions must be protected by security guarantees, including potential NATO membership.

"Ukrainians will not give away their land," said President Zelensky in response to the announcement of the Trump-Putin meeting. He emphasized that the Ukrainian Constitution has a clear answer about territories.

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