On the evening of the 15th, leaders of major European countries and the European Union issued a joint statement emphasizing that US and European leaders have pledged to jointly provide robust security guarantees and economic recovery support measures for Ukraine in the context of reaching an agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The statement asserts that Ukraine's territory should be determined by the Ukrainian people, provided that a solid and effective security guarantee mechanism is established.
The statement mentions that the measures promised by US and European leaders include: continued and strong support for Ukraine in building its armed forces, enabling it to maintain an 800,000-strong peacetime force; the formation of a European-led 'Ukrainian Multinational Force' under the framework of a 'Volunteer Coalition,' with participating countries contributing troops on a voluntary basis and with US support, assisting the Ukrainian army's modernization, ensuring Ukraine's air defense security, and supporting Ukraine's maritime defense.
These measures also include: establishing a US-led, internationally-participated ceasefire supervision and verification mechanism; making legally binding commitments to take measures to restore peace and security in the event of future armed attacks, which may include deploying armed forces, providing intelligence and logistical support, and adopting economic and diplomatic actions.
The statement says that US and European leaders also pledge to invest in Ukraine's 'future prosperity,' and are considering the necessity of making Russia compensate Ukraine, for which Russian assets in the EU have already been frozen; they strongly support Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
The statement notes that European leaders pledge to speed up progress in the coming weeks to jointly reach and approve a lasting peace agreement; agree to continue to increase pressure on Russia; and emphasize that any clauses involving the EU and NATO in the agreement will be discussed by their respective member states.
This statement was jointly issued by German Chancellor Merz, French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, Finnish President Stubb, Dutch Prime Minister Schoof, Norwegian Prime Minister Støre, Polish Prime Minister Tusk, Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson, European Council President Costa, and European Commission President von der Leyen.