On Tuesday, October 21, European leaders and Ukraine’s allies issued a cautious warning to U.S. President Donald Trump, voicing concern over his tepid support for Kyiv. They backed his call for an end to hostilities but rejected any hint of territorial concessions to Moscow.
In a joint statement signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and other European leaders, the signatories declared themselves “united in their pursuit of a just and lasting peace.”
The statement affirmed that they “strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting must stop immediately,” suggesting that the current line of contact could serve as a potential starting point for negotiations. At the same time, they warned that “international borders cannot be changed by force”—a clear rebuke to Trump’s openness to freezing the conflict along Russian-held lines.
The document was released ahead of a key European Council summit on Thursday, which will focus on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and tightening sanctions on Moscow. On Friday, Zelenskyy and members of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” are set to meet in London to coordinate further military and financial assistance to Kyiv.
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Trump’s remarks came on Sunday evening, when he proposed freezing the conflict along the current front line—leaving large swaths of occupied Ukrainian territory under Russian control. That line cuts through the industrial Donbas, where fighting remains particularly fierce.
His comments followed what was reportedly a tense meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House. According to a source familiar with the talks, Trump initially suggested that Kyiv consider making concessions to Moscow in exchange for ending the war. He later denied demanding that Ukraine hand over the entire Donbas, saying the region should be divided as it currently stands. “I think 78% of the territory is already occupied by Russia. Let it stay that way,” he said.