“In general, only the Russians benefit from any splits between Europe and America, so our consistent position is that transatlantic unity must be maintained,” the diplomat added. Zelenskyy’s office declined to comment.
The call took place after the Trump administration circulated a 28-point peace plan — reportedly drafted by the Kremlin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff and Kushner — that was criticized by Ukraine and European allies for being too favorable to Russia, and triggered frenzied negotiations in Geneva.
Those subsequent talks, attended by European, Ukrainian and American officials, yielded an updated 19-point plan, which Russia has yet to agree to. Moscow has not backed down from its maximalist demands, namely that Kyiv give up vast swathes of unoccupied territory in its east, limit the size of its military and hold new elections.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and European Council President António Costa also participated in Monday’s call, according to Spiegel.
The call also saw the issue of Russia’s frozen assets discussed, Spiegel reported, with some leaders insisting that seizing Moscow’s billions to fund a massive tranche of financial and military aid for Ukraine was a matter for the EU to decide, not the U.S.
Victor Jack and Joshua Berlinger contributed reporting.