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EU's von der Leyen warns against 'unilateral carving up of sovereign European nation' with Ukraine peace deal
Jennifer Rankin
Brussels correspondent
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation”, as Europe scrambles to assert influence over a US effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen said Russia showed “no signs of true willingness to end the conflict” and continued to operate in a mindset unchanged since the days of Yalta – the much-criticised and misunderstood 1945 summit to settle the post-war order.
“So we need to be clear that there cannot be unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation, and that borders cannot be changed by force. If today we legitimise and formalise the undermining of borders, we open the doors for more wars tomorrow, and we cannot let this happen.”
She welcomed Donald Trump’s efforts to find peace, describing them as “a starting point”, but made clear that Europe had many concerns about the details outlined in the original 28-point US-Russian plan.
Some of the maximalist Russia-friendly demands have since been removed, Ukraine has said, and the US president has rowed back on his Thursday deadline tied to the US holiday of Thanksgiving, amid little sign of progress on key sticking points.
Describing the situation as volatile and dangerous, von der Leyen also said she saw “an opportunity here to make real progress”, while adding that “so far we have seen no signs from Russia of true willingness to end this conflict. So we have to keep up the pressure on Russia.”
EU foreign ministers were holding a hastily arranged video conference on the situation on Wednesday.
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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is due to speak with the media soon after today’s hastily arranged videocall with EU foreign ministers.
She seems to be running slightly late, but we will bring you the key lines here.
EU's von der Leyen warns against 'unilateral carving up of sovereign European nation' with Ukraine peace deal
Jennifer Rankin
Brussels correspondent
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation”, as Europe scrambles to assert influence over a US effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen said Russia showed “no signs of true willingness to end the conflict” and continued to operate in a mindset unchanged since the days of Yalta – the much-criticised and misunderstood 1945 summit to settle the post-war order.
“So we need to be clear that there cannot be unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation, and that borders cannot be changed by force. If today we legitimise and formalise the undermining of borders, we open the doors for more wars tomorrow, and we cannot let this happen.”
She welcomed Donald Trump’s efforts to find peace, describing them as “a starting point”, but made clear that Europe had many concerns about the details outlined in the original 28-point US-Russian plan.
Some of the maximalist Russia-friendly demands have since been removed, Ukraine has said, and the US president has rowed back on his Thursday deadline tied to the US holiday of Thanksgiving, amid little sign of progress on key sticking points.
Describing the situation as volatile and dangerous, von der Leyen also said she saw “an opportunity here to make real progress”, while adding that “so far we have seen no signs from Russia of true willingness to end this conflict. So we have to keep up the pressure on Russia.”
EU foreign ministers were holding a hastily arranged video conference on the situation on Wednesday.
Jakub Krupa
I brought you the key lines from the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s speech in the European parliament earlier today (9:24, 9:24, 9:24, 9:26, 9:29, 9:33), but let’s now cross to our Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin for the full story.
Poland to get €44bn funding from EU's SAFE defence programme, PM Tusk says
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has just announced Poland will receive €44bn from the European Union’s SAFE programme to spend on defence projects, including drones, space defence, AI, cyber and cryptosecurity, and equipment for its army and border guards.
He said that would make Poland the biggest beneficiary of the programme.
Jakub Krupa
I’m listening to the daily European Commission press conference looking for any new lines on Ukraine.
On the proposed reparations loan, backed by the frozen Russian assets, the commission’s chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the discussions on this are “taking place” with officials expecting to “receive further feedback from member states.”
We should hear more about it at the top of the hour too, when the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is due to address the media after today’s foreign ministers videocall.
US discussing major Belarus prisoner release that could see over 100 freed - reports
Meanwhile, we are getting reports that the US and Belarus are working on another round of prisoner release which could see “at least” 100 political prisoners held by the Minsk regime freed.
Reuters reported that US officials want to secure the release of well over 100 prisoners in a single deal, the sources said in recent days, requesting anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic conversations.
The Trump administration’s push for the biggest prisoner release so far is part of its controversial campaign to thaw relations with the authoritarian state in exchange for the prospect of sanctions relief, the agency noted.
In the largest prisoner release to date, Belarus freed 52 people in September, but the regime is understood to hold more than 1,000 political detainees.
Reuters noted that most European countries have kept Minsk at arm’s length given Belarus’ deep ties with Russia and its poor human rights record. The EU last month tightened its sanctions against Belarus.
Overnight Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia leaves 19 injured
Meanwhile, Russia has overnight conducted a mass drone attach on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring 19 people and badly damaging buildings and vehicles, the regional governor said, as reported by Reuters.
Ivan Fedorov, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the attack had destroyed shops, and damaged 31 apartment blocks and 20 private homes. He said eight people were being treated in hospital.
Ukraine’s air force said it downed 72 out of 90 drones and two ballistic missiles launched by Russia in a country-wide attack overnight.
Ushakov says he will discuss Witkoff phone call leak in another phone call with Witkoff
Ushakov also told reporters that he will be in touch with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff about the apparent leak of their phone call, saying it was “unacceptable”.
“About the leak? We will exchange opinions by phone,” he replied.
Reuters noted that Ushakov told reporters that some of what was leaked was “fake” and he would not comment on the rest because the call was confidential.
Leaking a discussion of a serious issue was “of course unacceptable”, he added.
Europe's 'meddling' in Ukraine talks 'completely unnecessary,' Kremlin aide says
Meanwhile, in sharp contrast to von der Leyen and Merz’s comments earlier today (9:33, 9:54), the Kremlin insisted that Europe’s involvement in the peace talks on Ukraine was “completely unnecessary.”
“The Europeans meddling in all these affairs is, as I see it, completely unnecessary,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told a state TV reporter.
Trump says envoy to meet Putin in Moscow amid efforts to end Ukraine war – video
Here are some other comments from Trump on Air Force One on his plans to continue negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, and his comments backing away from an earlier Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree the deal, by saying: “The deadline for me is when it’s over.”
