The United States has agreed to "tightly coordinate" Ukraine talks with European partners following a call between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the German government said Monday.
Immediately after his conversation with Putin, Trump held a second call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
The readout of the call provided by Merz's spokesman said that the leaders "spoke to each other about the next steps" and "emphasized their willingness to closely accompany Ukraine on the path to a ceasefire."
However, it also said that the "European participants (on the call) announced that they would increase pressure on the Russian side through sanctions," appearing to suggest a divergence of approach with Washington.
Last week, the EU agreed to its 17th package of sanctions against Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
On Friday, von der Leyen said work had already begun on an 18th package that would notably target the controversial Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 to pre-empt any attempt to bring them back online.
Pope Leo’s Offer
Pope Leo XIV has offered to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks in a gesture welcomed by US and European leaders, Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on Monday.
US President Donald Trump and a number of European leaders discussed the offer in a call after Trump spoke with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Meloni said in a statement.
She said, "the availability of the Holy Father to welcome the talks at the Vatican was judged positively."
AFP
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