E3 Leaders Set Key Terms for Ukraine Peace Talks Deal
E3 leaders say a ceasefire should open Ukraine peace talks, with security guarantees, frozen Russian assets and Europe-US dialogue with Moscow on the table.
A halt to the fighting should be the first step toward a peace settlement in Ukraine, according to a joint statement issued by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after their meeting with Vladimir Zelensky.
The leaders of the E3 countries said talks could begin on the basis of the current line of contact. Once a ceasefire is in place, they said, Ukraine should receive reliable security guarantees with legally binding status. The statement links those guarantees to commitments made in Berlin in December 2025 and in Paris in January 2026.
The document also says Europe could deploy a foreign contingent in Ukraine.
Starmer, Macron and Merz named the continued freeze on Russian assets until the end of the conflict as another condition. They also said any potential agreement must take into account the protection of European security interests.
The E3 leaders separately stressed that talks on issues concerning the European Union and NATO can take place only with the consent of the EU, the bloc’s member states and NATO allies.
The authors of the statement also backed European and US participation in dialogue with Moscow on Ukraine. The meeting with Zelensky was held at Downing Street.