European countries and Ukraine demand a say in any peace talks

The statement was published on the official website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

“We are ready to enhance our support for Ukraine. We commit to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's war of aggression. We share the goal to keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached. A peace that guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own,” the statement read.

Ukraine, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the EU look forward to discussing the next steps with their American allies.

“Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations. Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security. We recall that the security of the European continent is our common responsibility. We are therefore working together to strengthen our collective defense capabilities,” the statement added.

Trump's calls with Putin and Zelenskyy: What we know

On February 12, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin by phone.

According to Trump, Putin agreed that they both want to “stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”

Speaking to the press at the White House, Trump mentioned that his meeting with Putin would likely take place in Saudi Arabia but didn’t specify a date.

On the same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke with Trump. Zelenskyy thanked him for his interest in what “we can do together,” and Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin.

Trump described his talk with Zelenskyy as having “gone very well.”