Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski took part on behalf of the prime minister, writing on X: "No decisions about us without us."
French President Emmanuel Macron, co-chairing the call with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said after the meeting: "There is clearly no Russian willingness to agree a ceasefire today," adding that Moscow has also shown no "willingness to discuss" the amended US plan revised after discussions held over the past few days.
Macron also called for a "strong Ukrainian army" without "limitation" to deter any future Russian attack, speaking after the videoconference that included Ukraine’s European allies as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Frozen assets to help fund Ukraine
Macron also announced that France would work with other European Union countries to finalise a solution for providing financial support to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets.
"We will finalise this in the coming days, in coordination with all the European countries most concerned and, of course, with the European Union and the European Commission – a solution that will secure funding, give Ukraine visibility and maintain this pressure," he said.
Taskforce to guarantee Ukraine’s security
According to French officials cited by Reuters, the leaders had agreed to set up a task force between the United States and coalition countries to "solidify" security guarantees.
Macron added that the Coalition would launch a working group led jointly by France and Britain, with close involvement from Turkey and – for the first time – the United States, to hammer out those guarantees once a peace deal is reached.
"Over the next few days, we will finalise each party’s contributions and finalise these security guarantees. This is essential for the Ukrainians, it is essential for negotiating a credible peace and for maintaining pressure on Russia," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined the session for the first time, telling participants that security guarantees are "a key component" of any settlement and that both Ukraine and Russia "need clarity" on their nature before assessing the viability of an agreement.
UK steps up support
PM Starmer said the UK would supply additional air-defence missiles to Ukraine in the coming weeks and was prepared to support financial assistance based on frozen Russian assets.
He told leaders the negotiation process was "moving in a positive direction," noting that Ukraine had proposed constructive changes to the peace framework and that Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky "in large part… indicated most of the text can be accepted."
He urged participants to "firm up their national commitments" to ensure "the most robust capability, the most robust plans, on the table."
Kyiv ready to negotiate with Trump
Zelensky, who joined the call alongside leaders from the UK, Germany, Japan and Australia, among others, reiterated that Kyiv was ready to advance with the US-backed agreement and prepared to discuss its most sensitive elements directly with US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, at the White House’s Thanksgiving turkey-pardoning ceremony on Tuesday, President Trump said of the Ukraine negotiations: "It’s not easy, but I think we’re going to get there… I think we’re getting very close to a deal, we’ll find out… I think we’re making progress."
According to reports by Axios, Zelensky is ready to meet Trump "as soon as possible" – possibly over Thanksgiving – to finalise the agreement on ending the war.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR, Reuters, axios.com