EU leaders welcome ‘new momentum’ in Ukraine peace talks but stress red lines on territory – as it happened

We are pausing our coverage of today’s developments on Ukraine here, but will resume it if there are any major news lines emerging later in the day.

Here is our summary of the day so far:

• Ukraine has significantly amended the US “peace plan” for Ukraine, removing some of Russia’s maximalist demands, people familiar with the negotiations said, as European leaders warned on Monday that no deal could be reached quickly.

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet Donald Trump in the White House later this week, they indicated, amid a flurry of calls between Kyiv and Washington.

• US president Donald Trump said earlier today that “something good just may be happening” with “big progress” in the talks on Ukraine (12:01).

• Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was working with the US to look for “compromises that strengthen, not weaken, us” and “and will continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression is something one can simply overlook and move on” (9:49).

• Meanwhile, numerous European leaders welcomed “the new momentum” in talks on ending the Russian invasion on Ukraine, but insisted that several issues needed to addressed (15:47), with the next month’s European Council summit billed as a moment to make some “key decisions” (17:01).

• In a particularly striking reaction, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson insisted that Russia “must be forced to the negotiating table” (15:09) as he joined Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Donald Tusk in calling for more pressure to be put on Moscow (12:54, 13:06).

• Meanwhile, Czech president Petr Pavel warned that Ukraine needed to be closely listened to during any peace talks, as it’s exclusion from key decisions would prompt parallels with the 1938 Munich Agreement, saying: “it is their territory, it is their country, their people, their lives” (10:43).

The Irish prime minister, Micheál Martin, said that the European leaders “had some key decisions to make” at the upcoming EU summit in December when it comes to further support and financing for Ukraine.

Speaking after today’s EU discussions on the peace plan for Ukraine, Martin said the December meeting “will be a very key moment and important meeting in respect of Europe’s contribution to all of this, particularly in terms of the financing of Ukraine into the future and related issues.”

He said the leaders had “a good discussion” earlier today, but the December meeting will be critical for translating it into action, “and a lot of work has to be done in advance of that meeting.”

“Meanwhile, strong support for President Zelensky emanating from the meeting; important to continue to support him in his negotiations and in his endeavours,” he said.

He also insisted that Europe played a role in the discussions about the peace settlement, saying:

“Clearly, Europe is at the table because of key issues that have been identified, in terms of the future financing of Ukraine, in terms of Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, which we’ve been strong advocates for, and also in terms of, ultimately, the security underpinning of any post war scenario.”

The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner Michael O’Flaherty warned that while it’s “encouraging” to see diplomatic efforts on Ukraine intensify, “a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace can only be achieved if it is anchored in the international human rights framework.”

O’Flaherty said in a statement that any final peace discussions needs to address the key issues on accountability and reparations – including “mechanisms for accountability for perpetrators of gross human rights violations and international crimes and fair reparations for all victims of Russia’s aggression” – as well as on the protection of affected persons, reconstruction and recovery, and inclusion.

“To fortify our security and counter the Russian aggression against Ukraine, we must unequivocally defend the values and human rights that are under fire in this war against Ukraine,” he said.

Earlier this month, O’Flaherty convened a meeting of 35 officials – including from Ukraine - to discuss how some of these issues could be practically advanced, and a report is expected soon.

in Kyiv

Ukraine has significantly amended the US “peace plan” for Ukraine, removing some of Russia’s maximalist demands, people familiar with the negotiations said, as sources say Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet Donald Trump in the White House later this week to discuss its contents.

The latest developments as European leaders warned on Monday that no deal could be reached quickly, amid a flurry of calls between Kyiv and Washington.

Ukraine is also pressing for Europe to be involved in the talks.

The original 28-point US-Russian plan was drawn up last month by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, and Trump’s representative Steve Witkoff. It calls on Ukraine to withdraw from cities it controls in the eastern Donbas region, limit the size of its army, and not join Nato.

During negotiations on Sunday in Switzerland – led by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak – the plan was substantially revised. It now includes only 19 points. Kyiv and its European partners say the existing frontline has to be the starting point for territorial discussions.

The UK and EU were blindsided last week when the original plan was leaked to US media. The army secretary, Dan Driscoll – Vance’s friend and university classmate – was sent to Kyiv with a military delegation to brief Zelenskyy on its contents.

Since then, European governments have sought to revise the document, which appears to have originally been written in Russian. They published their own counter-proposals over the weekend, which called for Ukraine’s sovereignty to be respected.

And just like that, a senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that European counterproposals on Ukraine “seem at the first glance completely unconstructive and do not work for Russia,” Reuters has just reported.

The European plan significantly changes the meaning and significance of key points on Nato and territory, according to a copy circulating in the media, including the one reported by Reuters.

Ushakov was much more optimistic about the original US plan – criticised by Ukraine’s allies as pro-Russian – saying that “not all, but many provisions of this plan seem quite acceptable to us.”

European leaders have emerged from this morning’s discussions on their counterproposal for a peace plan for Ukraine with strikingly positive comments on the process, while reiterating their key points on respecting numerous Ukrainian red lines on territory and sovereignty.

The EU leaders met on the sidelines of the EU-Africa summit in Angola to discuss the progress made over the weekend in Geneva, welcoming “the new momentum,” even as they insisted that some issues still needed to be addressed.

But the sticking points are in no way minor and are absolutely central to discussions on Ukraine’s sovereignty, relating to its territory, its ability to defend itself, or its prospects of joining Nato or the EU.

With some of the European leaders’ rhetoric at times almost inexplicably positive, with leaders that keen to show to the US and Donald Trump that they want to engage with the process, the question of what actual lasting impact these European discussions will have on the actual peace plan remains open.

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “while work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward,” with the key principle that “only Ukraine, as a sovereign country, can make decisions regarding” its future (13:03)

The European Council president António Costa said that “while some issues remain to be solved, the direction if positive,” as he reaffirmed that parts of the deal affecting the EU would need to see “full involvement and decision” by the bloc.

But it’s the national leaders’ comments that offered a bit more scepticism and depth to the EU’s view of the deal, highlighting the key areas areas that may require a fair bit more of diplomatic back-and-forth.

Poland’s Donald Tusk stressed that any peace settlement on Ukraine needed to “strengthen, not weaken, our security,” as he openly said that some bits need to be rewritten.

He also strongly pushed for further pressure on Russia, including through the use of its frozen assets in Europe, saying “it cannot be the case that Europe ends up paying for Russia’s actions.” (12:54)

Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson echoed this sentiment, saying that Russia “must be forced to the negotiating table,” and stressing that it was in Stockholm’s self-interest to send a clear signal to Moscow that “aggression … never pays off.” (15:09)

But for all the generally positive rhetoric, it was Germany’s chancellor Fredrich Merz who conceded that “peace in Ukraine won’t happen overnight,” with the need to get Russia involved more closely in any further talks.

The proposed EU draft – radically overhauling the original proposals, which were thought to be pro-Russian and shifting the balance towards Ukraine – will no doubt prompt a reaction from Moscow, with the Russian administration seeking to push back on some of the proposals.

One key things to watch out for is to see which of the European arguments and counterproposals actually stick in the latest draft after the Geneva talks over the weekend – something we will no doubt find out more about in the coming hours and days.

Nordic correspondent

Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish prime minister, has said that Vladimir Putin “must be forced to the negotiating table”.

After meeting EU leaders about the US peace plan for Ukraine, he said:

“It is in Sweden’s interest that Russia’s aggression against neighbouring countries never pays off. Otherwise, what happens in Ukraine today could affect one of us in the EU tomorrow.”

He added: “It is clear that Putin must be forced to the negotiating table.”

He also called for increased pressure on Russia by seizing Russian assets held by European banks.

“The money will be used to strengthen Ukraine’s defence and to pay for the damage Russia has caused to Ukraine.”

The chairs of the parliamentary foreign affairs committees from 20 European countries have issued a rare joint statement supporting “a just and lasting peace that is grounded in international law and fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty.”

The statement, signed by representatives of France, Ireland, Poland, Spain and the UK among others, warns that “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine — and the peace that follows — will shape European security for generations and affect the existential interests of all Europeans.”

“Such a peace cannot be achieved by yielding to or rewarding the aggressor; it requires sustained pressure on Russia and unwavering support for Ukraine for any solution to succeed,” the statement said.

The parliamentarians called for “urgent meetings of European leaders and the European Council to take a united, principled stand” in support of Ukraine.

“Genuine negotiations cannot begin with Ukraine being asked to pre-emptively accept Russian demands. The era of empires is over, and Europe will never accept as legitimate any notion of Russian ‘security interests’ that extend beyond its borders or presume the right to shape Europe’s security order,” they said.

The statement also stressed the need for “real” and “legally binding” security guarantees for Ukraine, and no limits on its armed forces or constraints on its policies.

“Europe must stand united, principled, and unflinching. Our values, our security, and the future of our continent depend on ensuring that any peace achieved is worthy of the sacrifices made and of Ukraine’s bravery and resilience — a peace rooted in justice, law, and lasting security.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed a US proposal to end the war in Ukraine by phone on Monday, the Kremlin said.

In a readout, reported by Reuters, the Kremlin said that “Vladimir Putin noted that these proposals, in the version in which we have reviewed them, are in line with the discussions at the Russian-American summit in Alaska and, in principle, can be used as the basis for a final peaceful settlement.”

“The Russian side’s interest in a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis was reaffirmed,” ithe Kremlin added.

In turn, Erdoğan told Putin he was ready to support the process in every way and offered Istanbul - where the two sides held three rounds of peace talks earlier this year - as a venue for further discussions, the Kremlin said.

Amid talks to bring about an end to the war, Russia resumed its night-time drone attacks on Ukraine’s civilian and port infrastructure close to Romania’s border, the Nato member’s defence ministry said earlier today.

A statement from the defence ministry read:

Radar monitoring systems detected air targets heading to Ismail, and two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft conducting enhanced air policing missions scrambled to monitor the air situation.

The drones disappeared from the radar, shortly after explosions were reported in Ismail.

No incursions of unmanned aerial vehicles into the Romanian airspace were detected, and the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft returned to the 57th airbase at 01.01.

Romania shares a 650 km (400 mile) border with Ukraine. It has had Russian drone fragments fall on its territory repeatedly as Moscow attacks Ukrainian port infrastructure across the river Danube from Romania.

Along with French President Emmanuel Macron, the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, has been leading European diplomatic efforts to try to secure a deal to end the war that (more) fairly accounts for Ukrainian interests and deters future Russian aggression.

We have some fresh quotes from the prime minister’s spokesperson, who said Starmer welcomed “significant progress” in the weekend talks that discussed peace in Ukraine.

“The prime minister obviously welcomes the significant progress made at yesterday’s meetings between the US and Ukraine in Geneva,” the spokesperson said, adding “there are some outstanding issues” which will be discussed in “coming days and weeks”.

Asked if the UK would send troops to enforce any deal agreed between Kyiv and Moscow, the Downing Street spokesperson reportedly said they would not “get ahead” of ongoing discussions.

The foreign ministers of several European countries – including Germany, France, Britain and Finland – met Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, this morning, a German official was quoted by the Telegraph as having said. It is not clear exactly what was said in the discussions.

Meanwhile, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said that while “some issues were clarified” in the Geneva talks, “we also know: peace in Ukraine will not happen overnight.”

Merz also made it clear that Europe must be consulted and agree to any Ukraine peace plan given its consequences for European security, as he called for Russia to come to table and engage with the talks more directly.

“It is important to us that there can be no peace plan for Ukraine if we do not give our consent to issues that affect European interests and European sovereignty,” he said.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa are also briefing the media after the EU leaders’ meeting this morning.

Costa welcomed “the new momentum” in peace negotiations, and said that while “some issues remain to be solved, the direction is positive,” as he commended the efforts of the Ukrainian and US teams involved in the talks.

“It is also clear that the issues that concern directly the European Union, such as sanctions enlargement or immobilised assets, require the full involvement and decision by the European Union,” he said.

von der Leyen used similar language, talking about “good progress” in the Geneva talks.

“While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward. As we do, we must remain united and keep placing Ukraine’s best interest at the centre of our efforts,” she said.

She pointedly added that “moving forward, Ukraine’s territory and sovereignty must be respected,” adding that “only Ukraine, as a sovereign country, can make decisions regarding its armed forces.”

“The choice of their destiny is in their own hands. I also want to emphasise Europe’s centrality in the country’s future,” she said.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the EU leaders attending an informal meeting in Angola had a “serious” discussion on the Ukraine peace talks, agreeing that the 28 points proposed by US and Russia “need reworking” as some of the proposals as “unacceptable.”

Speaking from Luanda, he said that it was particularly important that no agreement would weaken Poland and Europe’s broader security.

Tusk added that the peace settlement must not “favour the aggressor,” and said that the leaders are leaning towards moving forward on what to do with the frozen Russian assets.

“It cannot be the case that Europe ends up paying for Russia’s actions,” he said.

He acknowledged that some countries remain unconvinced, but he thought the leaders were “much, much closer” to an agreement on this issue to use the frozen assets to “help Ukraine now and during reconstruction.”

Tusk also said the EU was clear that it would not agree to limiting the number of soldiers in the Ukrainian armed forces.

The Polish PM said the talks remained “delicate” as European leaders are keen to keep the US on side.

Tusk also stressed that the sanctions imposed on Russia were working and they needed to be kept in place to force Russia into a peace settlement.

“Europe must be united. We will do everything we can so the US is on the same side. We should talk [act towards Russia] as Nato, together, and not as individual states,” he added.

“Any peace settlement on Ukraine needs to strengthen, not weaken, our security,” he said.

Overnight, Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv was hit by what officials said was a massive drone attack that killed four people and injured at least 13, Reuters and AP reported.

Eight residential buildings, an educational facility and power lines were damaged in the attack, according to the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov.

Ukraine’s air force says Russia fired 162 strike and decoy drones over the country overnight, AP noted.

Over in Brussels, the European Commission is hosting its daily midday press briefing.

Chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the bloc welcomed the constructive progress made in early Ukraine talks over the weekend, although “a lot of work remains to be done,” which is also being discussed by the EU leaders taking part in further discussions on the margin of the EU-Africa summit in Angola today.

The EU’s three red lines remain unchanged: borders cannot be changed by force, no limitations on Ukrainian armed forces, and return of all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

The commission spokesperson also reiterated that “it is critical that the aggressor, Russia, pays for the destruction,” with talks on the use of the Russian frozen assets through a Ukraine reparations loan “even more urgent now.”

It was also revealed that a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing is expected to be convened online, on video, on Tuesday.

US president Donald Trump responded to the reports coming out of Geneva overnight, posting on his Truth Social account:

“Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

A Ukrainian man has been arrested by Polish authorities investigating a recent Russian rail sabotage, with prosecutors alleging he was involved in aiding the main two suspects in preparing their attack.

The man, identified only as Volodymyr B. under Polish privacy laws, was detained last Thursday and charged over the weekend, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement this morning.

The prosecutors allege that back in September he drove one of the two suspects to the area of the railway tracks going towards Ukraine, helping him to scout the site ahead of the attack.

The incident, earlier this month, saw an explosion along a section of railway line used for deliveries to Ukraine and another reported attempt to derail trains moving on this route.

Polish authorities have previously identified two Ukrainian men, allegedly working for the Russian intelligence services, as the key suspects in two cases of rail sabotage. They had reportedly arrived in Poland from Belarus and left soon after placing explosive devices on the rail tracks, and so remain beyond the reach of the Polish prosecutors.

Polish leaders condemned the attack at the time as “state terrorism” by Russia, who they allege deliberately recruited Ukrainian men to conduct the attacks to stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the country, which hosts a major Ukrainian community.

Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian drone en route to Moscow on Monday, the city’s mayor said as reported by Reuters, forcing three airports that serve the capital to temporarily restrict all incoming and outgoing flights.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement that emergency services were working at the scene of the downed drone.

Flight restrictions were introduced and quickly lifted on the capital’s three airports.

European Council president António Costa said he spoke with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy “to get his assessment of the situation” ahead of today’s informal EU leaders’ meeting on Ukraine on the sidelines of the EU-Africa summit.

“A united and coordinated EU position is key in ensuring a good outcome of peace negotiations - for Ukraine and for Europe,” he added.

Meanwhile, we are getting a line from the Kremlin saying there are no plans for meeting of Russian and US delegations this week so far, and that Moscow has now been kept informed about the progress made in Geneva.

A Kremlin spokesperson also denied to comment on reported changes requested by European leaders, saying it’d be wrong to conduct these negotiations via the media, Reuters reported.

Over the weekend, Czech president Petr Pavel insisted that Ukraine must be fully included in any peace settlement talks with Russia, stating the country’s exclusion from talks would prompt parallels with the 1938 Munich Agreement, saying: “it is their territory, it is their country, their people, their lives.”

Speaking to Polish broadcaster TVN24+ in an interview conducted before the Geneva talks, Pavel warned that any decisions without Ukraine’s substantial involvement would risk drawing similarities with Munich “and we Czechs know very well how it feels.”

In 1938, the UK, the French Republic, fascist Italy, and Nazi Germany signed an agreement that was meant to appease Adolf Hitler’s growing appetite for territorial expansion by allowing for the annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia (which was not represented). It was formally called “the Munich agreement,” although the Czechs and the Slovaks often refer to it as “The Munich betrayal.”

Pavel also pushed back on some of the other reported original demands from Russia, for example restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to join alliances, such as Nato or the EU.

But the Czech president, a former Nato general who served on the alliance’s military committee, also conceded that while he fully understood that “the very notion of losing even an inch of territory is extremely painful” to Ukrainians, with the current state of play on the battlefield “realistically, some loss of territory [to Russia] is very probable.”

He insisted, however, that any such territory should never be recognised as “legally Russian territory.”

Drawing on his security experience, Pavel also said that the collective west should be looking to settle some broader issues with Russia, renewing treaties on arms control and regulating military exercises.

But he stressed:

“I have never seen any idea within my time in Nato - and I spent in Nato many years - I haven’t seen any single plan that would suggest attacking Russia.

I asked the Russians, when they were still in Nato, in a number of Nato-Russia Council meetings, if they seriously mean that there is anyone in Nato who would like to invade Russia.

We only act to defend the territory. We don’t have any interest in controlling vast Russian territory with so many problems. They will have to deal with their problems themselves. … It’s to protect against a country that proved number of times to be aggressive.”

Pavel also warned Nato members about showing internal divisions, saying that if Russia ever “comes to an understanding that we are weak or undecisive enough for them to act, they would use the opportunity.”

“So far, we were able to deter effectively [any] Russian aggression against a Nato ally.

But he said that if Nato partners show that they “lack determination to defend each other,” it could create some space for Russia to exploit it: “if not to grab a new territory, then to humiliate us, because this [has been] one of their objectives over a long time: to destabilise both Nato and the EU, to sow disunity and distrust to institutions.”

“How how can you better demonstrate the weakness of Nato then by doing a limited military action against a remote Nato country, let’s say part of Estonia, and create internal debate [on] if we all really want to go to war with Russia over a piece of land in Estonia? And if the decision is not to launch Article 5, not to stand firmly by a small ally and by a small chunk of his territory, it will be a big victory for Russia.”

Asked if Nato had what it needed to defend an allied territory or was there a question mark over its ability to respond, he said:

“I wouldn’t say it’s a big question mark. but, frankly, we have some more homework to do.”

Over in Brussels, EU ministers are meeting for discussions on trade, including specifically with the US, with two senior US representatives – trade representative Jamieson Greer and treasury secretary Howard Lutnick - joining them for lunch.

EU trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, described his talks with US counterparts as “constructive,” even as he added that “more work lies ahead.”

But numerous ministers chose to address the Ukraine talks over the weekend in their comments, stressing the need to find a way forward that works for Europe.

Lithuania’s Kęstutis Budrys said that “it was good that we once again have the [peace] process” and he welcomed signals that “the talks are progressively improving.”

But he also warned that several parts concerning Europe’s security must not be discussed without Europe, as “we know what Russia wants: Russia wants to dismantle Nato, … to push out Americans from Europe, and to review the security architecture” in Europe.

Budrys also spoke about Lithuania’s growing frustration with continuing airspace violations by meteorological balloons launched from Belarus, which regularly force airport closures, with Vilnius airport closing twice in the last 24 hours.

He said he would raise these issues during today’s talks, as more than 30,000 passengers were affected in recent weeks, and more than 200 flights redirected. “We cannot function normally,” he said.

But he said that Belarus also keeps seizing Lithuanian trucks and semitrailers “and blackmailing us, putting pressure on our economy.”

“This combined attacks has to be met with response from the EU,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the hosts, the Swedish foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, struck similar tones, stressing that Ukraine has repeatedly signaled its readiness to agree to a full, unconditional ceasefire, negotiate the peace settlement – but Russia has not.

She said:

“Since Russia has not changed its position, neither has Sweden nor the EU.

Our position remains that to achieve a just and lasting peace, borders cannot be changed by force. There cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that will invite further Russian aggression, and there cannot be any limitations on the full sovereign rights of the Ukrainian people to choose their own path, which includes the path to EU membership.

An agreement that includes those main elements that truly respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and that has the support of its people … will also have our support. But as long as the Russian aggression continues, Sweden has a clear two point plan to strengthen Ukraine and weaken Russia. You can count on our support.”

She pointedly says that in Sweden’s view, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia all remain Ukrainian.

“Let me be clear, Sweden will not recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea or any other part of Ukraine’s territory. We will not reward aggression.”

Speaking at the same event, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, insisted that Ukraine was ready to move to “a genuine peace,” but outlined three red lines for Kyiv in any talks “which no one has the right to cross: physically, legally, morally.”

He listed them as:

• no legal recognition of the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories

• no restrictions on Ukraine’s defence forces

• no veto on Ukraine’s right to choose its future alliances.

Stefanchuk added that “any genuine peace process must be based on a very clear principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing about Europe without Europe.”

He also stressed that any agreement must not violate the country’s constitution, which also repeats some of these points, for example on territory.

He also picked up Zelenskyy’s points on Russian frozen assets, saying diverting them for Ukraine to use would be “the price for the lives taken and the price for the destruction inflicted” by Moscow.

Stefanchuk also said that Ukraine’s membership of the EU and Nato should be part of future security guarantees, arguing that “only under these conditions will Russia retreat, because it will finally understand it cannot overcome” Ukraine’s yearning to confirm its status as part of the democratic world.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that “the core principle that kept Europe peaceful longer than at any other time in its history must be respected,” as borders should not be changed by force.

Speaking via a videolink at the opening session of the Crimea Platform parliamentary summit in Sweden, he warned that if this principle “does not work in Europe, then were will it work?”

Talking about the Geneva talks this weekend, he said Ukraine was “working closely with the US, with European partners, and many, many others to define steps that can end Russia’s war against us … and bring real security”

He said that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, wanted to get “legal recognition for what he has stolen to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

He praised the talks with the US, saying they agreed on “extremely sensitive” points on the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, but noted that “to achieve real peace, more is needed.”

“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us, and we will continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression is something one can simply overlook and move on.”

He urged leaders to “not be passive observers of history” and “do not stay silent,” but defend the key principles of postwar peace in Europe: “that borders cannot be changed by force, that war criminals must not escaped justice, and that the aggressor must pay fully for the war it started.”

Picking up on that last point, he said that “this is why decisions on Russian assets are essential,” as he asked them to “support these decisions and keep pressure on Russia.”

As my colleague Luke Harding reported overnight, the US and Ukraine said they had created an “updated and refined peace framework” to end the war with Russia, hours after European countries proposed their own radical alternative that omitted some of the pro-Russia points made in an original US-backed document that was leaked last week.

It is not clear what’s the current text of the proposed peace deal.

But the European counterproposal sought to radically overhaul the original plan in a bid to force the US to change its thinking and consider Ukrainian and European interests, too.

Offering his first reaction to the progress made over the weekend, Germany’s Johann Wadephul struck an optimistic tone as he said this morning that the talks produced a “decisive success” for the European side, and insisted that “all issues concerning Europe, including those concerning Nato, have been removed from this plan.”

“It was clear from the outset, as we have repeatedly said, that any agreement must not be reached over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians,” he added.

Finland’s influential president, Alexander Stubb, considered to be one of the European leaders with best access to US president Donald Trump, was markedly more cautious.

After his debrief call with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said the talks marked “a step forward,” but “there are still major issues which remain to be resolved.”

But the talks don’t stop here, and the EU leaders will be meeting to discuss the issue further in Luanda, the capital of Angola, on the margins of the EU-Africa summit.

Lots to cover today as talks on Ukraine enter what could be a decisive phase. I will bring you all the key updates here.

It’s Monday, 24 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.