European leaders have declared that "now is a critical moment" to increase support for Ukraine and exert more pressure on Russia to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in London on Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the latest version of a peace plan drawn up last week between Ukrainian and American officials.
During the meeting, European leaders stressed that efforts are still needed to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, while the US is putting pressure on Kiev to quickly reach an agreement with Russia.
Zelensky, who is traveling to Brussels for meetings with NATO officials, said Ukraine would present a revised plan to the United States on Tuesday. He said the "most clearly anti-Ukrainian points" had been removed from the initial draft proposed in November, but acknowledged that no compromise had yet been found on the territorial issue.
The US has proposed that Ukraine completely withdraw its forces from eastern regions that Russia has attempted to occupy, in exchange for a Russian withdrawal from other areas and a cessation of fighting. But that is a red line for Zelensky, who has warned that Russia would use any territory taken as a base for future attacks.
The Ukrainian president stressed that the issue of security guarantees, necessary to deter future Russian aggression, has not yet been resolved.
For its part, the British Prime Minister's Office stated that the leaders agreed that support for Ukraine and economic pressure on Vladimir Putin must be increased to end "this barbaric war." They also stressed the importance of a just and lasting peace, which includes strong security guarantees.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed skepticism about some elements of the peace plan proposed by the US, while France stated that work to guarantee Ukraine's security would be intensified.
Meanwhile, there are concerns in Kiev and Europe that the US could cut off support for Ukraine due to the stalled negotiations. "We cannot manage without the Americans or without Europe," Zelensky said.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the war continues. From Sunday to Monday, 10 people were killed and 47 injured by Russian drone, bomb and missile attacks in nine regions of Ukraine.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed or injured, while Ukrainian cities continue to be bombed almost every night.
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