European leaders consult Trump to align response to Russia-Ukraine talks

European leaders talk to US president aft Russia-Ukraine talks neglect to execute large breakthrough.

European leaders person agreed to measurement up associated enactment against Russia implicit its nonaccomplishment to hold to a ceasefire with Ukraine astatine a gathering connected Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, pursuing talks with United States President Donald Trump.

As the Russia-Ukraine talks concluded successful Istanbul connected Friday, Starmer and chap leaders from France, Germany and Poland – unneurotic with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – called the US president from a acme successful Albania to sermon “developments” successful the negotiations, Starmer said.

The talks successful Istanbul were the archetypal nonstop talks betwixt officials from the rwo sides for much than 3 years. They lasted little than 2 hours, and the sides agreed to the biggest captive speech since the commencement of the warfare successful 2022, but failed to marque a large breakthrough connected a ceasefire.

“We conscionable had a gathering with President Zelenskyy and past a telephone telephone with President Trump to sermon the developments successful the negotiations today,” Starmer said from Albania’s capital, Tirana, wherever leaders of dozens of European countries were gathered for the European Political Community summit.

“And the Russian presumption is intelligibly unacceptable, and not for the archetypal time.

“So arsenic a effect of that gathering with President Zelenskyy and that telephone with President Trump, we are present intimately aligning our responses and volition proceed to bash so.”

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that if Putin continued to cull a ceasefire, “we volition request to person a effect and truthful escalate sanctions”, which, helium said, were being “reworked” by European nations and the US.

EU eyes Russia’s shadiness fleet

Macron said it was excessively aboriginal to supply details connected the “reworked” sanctions, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to “increase the pressure”.

She said connected Friday that the measures would people the shadiness fleet of ageing cargo vessels that Russia is utilizing to bypass planetary sanctions and the Nord Stream pipeline consortium. Russia’s fiscal assemblage would besides beryllium targeted.

Earlier, Zelenskyy had said that Ukraine was committed to ending the war, but urged the European leaders to ramp up sanctions “against Russia’s vigor assemblage and banks” if Putin continued to resistance his feet successful talks.

“I deliberation Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said arsenic helium arrived astatine the Tirana summit. “The shot is intelligibly successful his portion of the tract now, successful his court. He has to play ball. He has to beryllium superior astir wanting peace.”