Russia’s mindset has not changed since Yalta, says Von der Leyen, as EU discusses Ukraine peace plan – Europe live

Here are some other comments from Trump on Air Force One on his plans to continue negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, and his comments backing away from an earlier Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree the deal, by saying: “The deadline for me is when it’s over.”

In case you missed it, US president Donald Trump defended his peace envoy Steve Witkoff overnight after Bloomberg reported that he allegedly advised Putin’s aide Ushakov on how to speak with Trump and conduct the talks.

Trump did not appear too bothered by it, though.

“That’s a standard thing. He’s gotta sell this to Ukraine, he’s gotta sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does … I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiation. And I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each party has to give and take,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, in some rather confusing comments coming from Russia, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, in comments reported by Reuters, that Russian and Ukrainian representatives met in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, but the peace plan … was not discussed there.

“No, the peace plan was not discussed in Abu Dhabi. The peace plan has not yet been discussed in detail with anyone,” he told a Russian state TV reporter.

Ushakov also confirmed that Russia has received “the latest version” of the US plan on Ukraine now, presumably updated after the Geneva and the Abu Dhabi talks.

Over in Berlin, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is speaking in the German Bundestag in a debate on the country’s next year budget.

He understandably talks about the need to reform the German economy, and improve its competitiveness, but the key lines for us are on Ukraine and the peace talks led by the US.

Merz says that preserving peace in Europe is one of the key guiding principles of his government, as he talks about the need to end the war in Ukraine, but not on terms that would amount to “capitulation.”

He also talks about the need to maintain unity between European countries and with the US, as “without the consent of Ukraine and without the consent of the Europeans, there will be no basis for a genuine, lasting peace in Ukraine.”

He says he welcomes Trump’s attempts to end the war, but insists that “European affairs can only be decided in agreement with Europe,” as Europe is “not a pawn, but a sovereign actor, with its own interests and values.”

Merz repeats that Russia could end the war within minutes if it truly wanted it and it is the only aggressor in this conflict.

He declares Germany will continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as possible,” and says he will support the idea of using the frozen Russian assets “available for this purpose.”

“Putin must realize that he has no chance of winning this war at the expense of the European order of freedom and peace,” he says.

The chancellor says that Germany will increase its support to Ukraine next year to the total of €11.5bn.

He then goes back to trade and the need to diversify raw material partnership and invest in cybersecurity.

But briefly coming back to the issue of armed forces, he says “we have to get used to the idea again that peace and freedom do not come for free.”

The European Commission president also adds the key principle that needs to be respected by any future peace deal as “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about Europe without Europe, nothing about Nato without Nato.”

She then talks about the need to secure the return of “each and every Ukrainian child that has been abducted by Russia,” saying Europe “will not forget them.”

She ends with some very cautious optimism on the talks as she says that “the days ahead are fraught with danger,” and “the situation is complex,” but “I believe there is also an opportunity here to make real progress.”

“So far, we have seen no signs from Russia of true willingness to end this conflict. So we have to keep up the pressure on Russia, but it is also our duty to engage with any and all efforts that can bring about a just and lasting peace,” she says.

“We know it will not be easy, but we have to find a way to move forward. We have to find a way to stop the killing, to help Ukraine rebuild and reconstruct, to return the children and reunite families. We have to find a way to provide lasting security for Ukraine and for our continent as a whole, and above all … to forge a better future, a European future, for Ukraine,” she says.

That ends her speech.

Von der Leyen also speaks about the need to secure Ukraine’s financial needs as she says “in the absence of any real intent of Russia to engage in peace talks, it is clear that we need to support Ukraine to defend itself.”

You may remember that the EU has been for months involved in discussions over the use of frozen Russian assets for “reparations loan” for Ukraine, but outstanding legal questions – particularly from Belgium, which hosts Euroclear which keeps large part of these assets – continue to block it from being progressed further. The next round of talks on this is expected at next month’s European Council summit in Brussels.

Von der Leyen says the commission is now ready to present a legal text on this, and stresses that she “cannot see any scenario in which the European taxpayers alone will pay the bill.”

Von der Leyen also says that Ukraine must be free to choose its own future, and its “European destiny” of joining the EU one day.

“This is not only a matter of destiny. This is a core and essential part of any security guarantee framework, and we will do everything we can to deliver on it together,” she says.

On the latest talks, von der Leyen pointedly welcomes Trump-led peace efforts, and says that “we know that much more effort is needed, but … thanks to the work of Ukraine, the US, and us Europeans over the last few days in Geneva, we have a starting point.”

She says the deal needs to deliver “a just and lasting peace” and “real security for Ukraine and Europe,” with no limitation on Ukraine’s armed forces, which she warns “would leave the country vulnerable to future attacks.”

“This is as much about deterrence as it is about Europe’s security, because Ukraine security is Europe’s security,” she says.

She also says the deal needs to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty as she warns “we know that Russia’s mindset has not changed since the days of Yalta, seeing our continent in terms of spheres of influence.”

“So we need to be clear that there cannot be unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation, and that borders cannot be changed by force. If today we legitimise and formalise the undermining of borders, we open the doors for more wars tomorrow, and we cannot let this happen,” she says.

Von der Leyen then turns to the current situation, stressing that “Europe will stand with Ukraine and support Ukraine every step of the way.”

She then blames Russia for escalating its attack despite diplomatic talks about ending the war, and warns against Moscow’s neoimperialist aspirations.

She says:

“From the start, Russia has always believed that they can outlast Ukraine, Europe and all of its allies. And it is why, every time there is serious progress towards negotiations that can bring about a real peace, the violence escalates. We have seen this before. This is a pattern, and the noises from the Kremlin in the last few days say a lot about its real intentions.

For them, Ukraine remains a first step in a much bigger game for Russia. Any peace deal is about permanently redrawing maps; it is about returning to great power relations and spheres of influence.

But for Ukraine and for Europe, any peace agreement is about creating a just and lasting peace, peace that stops this conflict and does not sow the seeds for new future conflicts.”

Opening her speech in the European Parliament, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, recalls last week’s Russian attack on Ternopil, which killed at least 34 people, including six children, and wounded almost 100 others.

She pays tribute to the victims, specifically mentioning a seven-year-old Polish girl named Amelka, who died in the “callous” attack.

“Over more than three and a half years into this war of aggression, this is the daily reality on the ground, and it shows that we can never lose sight of what Ukraine is sacrificing, what Ukraine is fighting for, its security, its freedom, its independence, because ultimately, this is what is at stake,” she said.

US president Donald Trump has said his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been “fine-tuned” and he’s sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Vladimir Putin, and US army secretary Dan Driscoll to meet Ukrainian officials.

But, despite the usually bombastic rhetoric, it appears there are still several fundamental issues to be resolved, with Russia already signalling that it was not happy with some of the counterproposals.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will speak in the European parliament in the next few minutes to debrief EU lawmakers on the latest in these talks, with a call between EU foreign ministers to follow later this morning.

Today’s talks come after overnight revelations that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a senior Kremlin official last month that achieving peace in Ukraine would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk and potentially a separate territorial exchange, according to a recording of their conversation obtained by Bloomberg.

I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.

It’s Wednesday, 26 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.