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European capitals have launched a flurry of diplomatic efforts to maintain pressure on Russia and convince US President Donald Trump’s administration not to walk away from Ukraine peace talks.
Multiple calls and meetings took place on Tuesday between European and Ukrainian leaders and senior security officials following Monday’s phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin in which the US president signalled he would leave Russia and Ukraine to settle among themselves the terms for ending the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late on Monday that it was “crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin”.
Tuesday’s discussions focused on ways that European countries could impose fresh sanctions on Russia, potentially without US involvement, and on how the White House could be convinced to resume efforts to push for a ceasefire, officials briefed on the talks said.
“We need to find a way to ensure that . . . the US stays involved,” said one of the officials.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said it “is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation”. He said Ukraine was working with its European partners “to ensure that pressure forces Russians to change their behaviour”.
He said he had a “good conversation” with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had been advocating for Nato-like security guarantees for postwar Ukraine. “As always, cool ideas,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine was hoping to secure some “joint positions” with European allies, a Ukrainian official briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times.
“We clearly see that Trump wants out of the talks,” the Ukrainian official said. “The aim is to keep the Americans in the talks and to find some common view [on] how to secure a ceasefire.”
The UK and the EU on Tuesday announced more sanctions on Russia, targeting lenders and other companies that help Moscow elude the western restrictions.
British foreign secretary David Lammy said Putin’s continued strikes on Ukraine “show his true colours as a warmonger”.
“We have been clear that delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin’s war machine,” Lammy added.
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the latest sanctions that targeted Russian oil company Surgutneftegas and almost 200 shadow fleet vessels were aimed at showing that “those who enable Russia face severe consequences”.
“While Putin feigns interest in peace, more sanctions are in the works . . . The longer Russia persists with its illegal and brutal war, the tougher our response will be.”
Trump’s two-hour call with Putin on Monday was described by a senior Russian official as having gone so well that the two leaders seemed to not want to say goodbye. Trump then announced that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” start negotiations on preparations for peace talks without the US as a mediator.
Following his call with Putin, Trump phoned Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and the European Commission, who were shocked by what he told them about his discussion with the Russian president.
Trump’s rhetoric contrasted sharply with a western ultimatum he had backed earlier this month threatening Putin with additional sanctions if he did not implement a 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine had already agreed to.
“Last week America said that if Russia doesn’t agree on a full and unconditional ceasefire, then there’s going to be consequences,” said Kallas. “We want to see those consequences from the US side. We really haven’t seen [US] pressure on Russia from these talks.”
Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur said the EU was supporting new sanctions proposed by US Senator Lindsey Graham, but it was unclear what Trump would do: “So the question is: what will be the message from the White House?”
Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius, as he arrived at EU ministerial meetings in Brussels, said: “Vladimir Putin is obviously continuing to play for time, and you can see that very clearly . . . [he] still does not really seem to be seriously interested in peace.
“What the European Union can and must do is tighten the sanctions screw,” he said, but conceded: “This is actually relatively obvious and not so easy at the same time.”
Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s readiness for any negotiation format that delivered results. But if Russia continued to put forward “unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences”.
“There is no doubt that the war must end at the negotiating table,” he said. However, the “proposals on the table must be clear and realistic”.
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