Reuters/CCTV. Following Russian-U.S. talks held on Tuesday in Riyadh, French President Emmanuel Macron convened a second meeting on Ukraine and European security on Wednesday, bringing together France's European and non-European partners.
Unlike Monday's face-to-face mini-summit, Macron had a "long conversation" via videoconference with his European Union (EU) counterparts and leaders from Norway, Iceland and Canada. Romania's interim President Ilie Bolojan was also invited and held bilateral talks with Macron before the meeting.
After the meeting, European leaders reinforced their position that a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine must be achieved. Macron said on the social media platform X that the position of France and its partners on Ukraine is "clear and united."
He emphasized that they want a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine, stand with Ukraine and will take all their responsibilities to ensure peace and security in Europe.
Macron underlined that Europe shares the same goal as U.S. President Donald Trump -- to end the three-year-long conflict in Ukraine. He stressed that Europe's efforts for peace would continue under three principles: Ukraine must always be involved and its rights respected, peace must be lasting and accompanied by robust and credible guarantees, and European security concerns must be taken into account.
As the only official received by Macron at the Elysee on Wednesday, Romania's interim President Ilie Bolojan echoed Macron's sentiments, asserting that a "just and fair" peace is important and it cannot be reached without the participation of Ukraine and the EU.
Bolojan said all parties also agreed that in the immediate future, unity and coordination between their countries are necessary, noting that participants agreed to prepare a significant support package for Ukraine.
After attending the online meeting, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reiterated at a press conference in Stockholm that Ukraine should be able to define the terms for peace. He warned what happens now in Ukraine will have an impact on many generations to come, stressing the need for military support to strengthen Ukraine's position in future peace talks.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that all the parties to the meeting are committed to ending the conflict.
But it is necessary to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, which will ensure respect for international law and the integrity of Ukraine, he said. He also proposed appointing a "high-profile" EU representative for future talks on Ukraine.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store noted that European countries and Canada are "strongly aligned" in their stance, emphasizing that a ceasefire must serve as a prelude to genuine peace negotiations that can lead to a lasting solution.
Both Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo attended the videoconference. After the meeting, Stubb told a press conference that a consensus was reached on what Europe should do. He revealed that Macron had spoken twice with Trump and planned further contacts with other major non-European countries to explore "opportunities" for Europe. Orpo said that additional military aid should be rapidly arranged for Ukraine.
According to the Baltic News Service (BNS), Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda proposed setting Jan 1, 2030 as a "reference date" for Ukraine's accession to the EU. Before the meeting, Nauseda called for unconditional support for Ukraine and increased security and defense spending. No negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine, no negotiations on Europe without Europe, he said.
However, the meeting did not include what Europe perceives as "pro-Russia" countries. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini voiced his dissatisfaction, criticizing the exclusion of Hungary and Slovakia despite their geographic proximity to Ukraine. He argued that Macron's "strange" approach risks fragmenting EU unity.
He said he could not understand how a country that borders a country in which a military conflict is taking place would fail to be invited to a summit on the future of Ukraine and the post-war settlement.
