European leaders hold emergency talks on Ukraine peace efforts

Tuesday 30 December 2025 - 16:20

By: Dakir Madiha

European leaders hold emergency talks on Ukraine peace efforts

European leaders convened a virtual emergency meeting Tuesday morning to coordinate their response to intensifying U.S.-led peace initiatives, amid unverified Russian claims of a Ukrainian drone attack that threatened to derail diplomatic momentum toward ending the nearly four-year conflict.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the Berlin Format meeting at 11 a.m. local time, bringing together heads of state from France, Poland, the Netherlands, and other European nations, alongside European Union and NATO officials. The session marked the first European coordination since President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, where both leaders expressed optimism over a potential peace settlement.

“We are united in our determination to advance efforts toward a just and lasting peace,” European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on social media, thanking Merz for convening the coordination meeting. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced that the Volunteer Coalition, a multinational group engaged in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, would reconvene next week to further its work.

The diplomatic push unfolded against rising accusations, with Moscow claiming that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones targeting President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northwestern Russia on the night of December 28–29. Ukraine quickly denied the claims, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha describing them as fabricated attempts to undermine peace efforts. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov stated that Russia would not provide material evidence, asserting that “no proof is needed.”

Trump told reporters Monday that he was troubled by the alleged incident after Putin informed him by phone. “I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said, without indicating whether U.S. intelligence had verified Russia’s claims.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used Tuesday’s call to emphasize that Ukraine’s EU membership represents a central pillar of future security arrangements. “Ultimately, the prosperity of a free Ukrainian state lies in EU membership,” von der Leyen wrote after the meeting. “It is also an essential security guarantee in itself.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed cautious optimism, telling reporters that “peace is on the horizon” for the first time since Russia’s large-scale invasion began in February 2022. He noted, however, that difficult territorial decisions remain unresolved and stressed that reliable security guarantees are crucial for any lasting agreement.

The virtual summit followed Sunday’s phone call between Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders, during which a revised 20-point peace proposal was discussed. Zelensky described the security guarantees discussed with Trump as “strong,” while indicating that Ukraine seeks commitments spanning 30 to 50 years, longer than the 15-year framework reportedly under consideration in Washington.