IN BRIEF:
❓What Happened: European leaders discussed the need for progress on a ceasefire in Ukraine and opposed easing sanctions on Russia.
👥 Who’s Involved: Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin, leaders from the UK, France, Germany, NATO, and the EU.
📍 Where & When: Talks took place in Paris, with military strategy discussions occurring in London.
💬 Key Quote: “We should be setting a framework and a deadline of delivering real progress,” Sir Keir Starmer said.
⚠️ Impact: Increased international pressure on Russia to engage seriously in peace talks and potential deployment of European forces if an agreement is reached.
IN FULL:
According to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, European leaders have agreed on the necessity of imposing a deadline for Russian progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine. The decision follows a significant meeting in Paris, where France, Germany, and the United Kingdom vowed to bolster their support for Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Starmer emphasized that European allies must maintain pressure on Russia, dismissing any immediate options to lift sanctions. “We should be setting a framework and a deadline of delivering real progress,” he said, without specifying a concrete timeline. He stressed the urgency for advancements “in days and weeks, not months and months.”
The meeting and Sir Keir’s remarks come amid an ongoing pause in hostilities in the Black Sea, arranged through US-brokered discussions in Saudi Arabia. Top military officials from the UK, France, and Germany plan to visit Ukraine to strategize on deploying alleged peacekeeping troops in the country.
“Now is not the time for lifting sanctions,” Starmer noted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described sanctions as essential tools for leveraging Russia into serious negotiations.
French President Macron outlined the potential formation of a “reassurance force,” composed of European troops. “These reassurance forces were what was proposed by the French and British not to keep the peace… it’s not about monitoring the forces on the contact line,” Macron stated.
Current fighting continues in Ukraine, with Russia claiming that Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted the regions of Bryansk and Kursk. Moscow has stated these strikes violated an agreement to a ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure.
