European leaders discuss Ukraine against the backdrop of Russia's hardening stance
European leaders held a joint conversation on further support for Ukraine after Russia announced its intention to reconsider its negotiating position, accusing Kyiv of an alleged drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region. This is reported by The Public with reference to Bloomberg.
The teleconference was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the leaders of Finland and the Netherlands
The Polish Prime Minister said that following the conversation, peace in Ukraine was on the horizon for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war with Russia. According to him, an important signal was the readiness of the United States to join the security guarantees for Ukraine after peace is achieved, in particular through a possible military presence
The President of Ukraine called Moscow's statements about the drone attack a fabrication and linked them to the progress in the negotiations between Kyiv and Washington. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stressed that Russia has not provided any evidence of its accusations and will not be able to do so, as the attack did not take place.
At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia intends to defend its position more firmly in the negotiations, without elaborating. This, according to European partners, indicates Moscow's unwillingness to give up its maximalist demands, including claims to Ukrainian territories.
European leaders stressed the need for transparency and real readiness for peace on the part of Russia. According to the participants of the conversation, work on security guarantees for Ukraine continues, and the countries of the so-called Coalition of the Willing are planning new meetings in early January
