Tirana, Albania — European leaders have agreed with the president of the United States, Donald Trump, that Russia’s position in Alto Fire conversations is unacceptable and intends to coordinate an answer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, said on Friday.
“We have just met with President Zelensky and then a phone call with President Trump to discuss developments in today’s negotiations, and the Russian position is clearly unacceptable,” Starmer told journalists.
“As a result of that meeting with President Zelensky, in discussion with President Trump, we are now aligning and coordinating our answers and we will continue to do so,” he said, while European leaders celebrated a summit in Albania.
He said the decision with Trump was also agreed with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland.
This is a last -minute news update. The previous AP story continues.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Friday that his country is committed to ending the war with Russia, but urged dozens of European leaders to increase sanctions if President Vladimir Putin continues to play for time in conversations aimed at ensuring a truce.
Russia and Ukraine were holding their First direct peace conversations In three years, in the Turkish Port City of Istanbul, but officials and observers expected them to produce little immediate progress by stopping the More than three years of war.
“Ukraine is ready to take all realistic measures to finish this war,” Zelenskyy told leaders gathered for a summit European political community. But he warned: “If it turns out that the Russian delegation really is only theatrical and cannot deliver any results today, the world must respond.”
That reaction, he said, should include “sanctions against the energy sector and the banks of Russia.”
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, supported his call, saying in a speech of the summit that “Russia is dragging her feet and playing games.”
“We must be prepared to continue because if Russia does not come to the negotiating table, Putin must pay the price,” said Albanian capital, Tirana.
Zelenskyy’s comments occurred after Putin refused to attend face -to -face conversations.
“I think Putin made an error when sending a low -level delegation,” said NATO general, Mark Rutte, when he reached the summit under a constant drizzle. “The ball is clearly in its part of the field now, on its court. It has to play ball. It has to be serious about wanting peace,” Routte added.
The head of foreigners of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, said that Putin was “playing games, which shows that peace is not taken seriously.”
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said it was clear that “President Zelenskyy was ready to meet, but President Putin never appeared, and this shows his true belief. So we will increase the pressure.”
Von der Leyen said the EU is preparing a new sanctions package. She said the measures will be directed to the shadow fleet of the load ships that Russia is using to avoid international sanctions and the Nord Stream Pipeline consortium.
Russia’s financial sector would also be white, he said. The EU envoys have been working in the new sanctions package for several weeks, and the foreign ministers of the block could promulgate them as soon as Tuesday.
The first Italian first Giorgia Meloni emphasized that efforts to reach an agreement in Ukraine must continue.
“I think … that we should not throw in the towel. I think we must insist, we must insist on a high unconditional fire and a serious peace agreement that includes security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said.
The theme of the Summit in Tirana is “New Europe in a new world: Unit – Cooperation – Joint Action”. The leaders meeting of approximately 50 nations and organizations was also scheduled to address ways to improve the competitiveness of the continent and address unauthorized migration.
But the summit serves better as a scenario for leaders to gather bilaterally, or in small groups, to evaluate the main security problems. The inaugural summit in Prague in 2022 saw the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia Maintain rare conversations in an effort to relieve tensions among adversaries for a long time.
He Last summitOrganized by Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, a burning supporter of US President Donald Trump, was dominated by the concerns and opportunities that could arise following Trump’s re -election.
The leaders arrived at the central square of Skanderbeg in Tirana in a rainy morning and were received by a brief performance of dancers with popular costumes before heading to the temporary conferences, established at the foot of a monument to the national hero of Albania, Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu, or Skanderbeg, who fought against the Ottoman Empire.
The summit occurs after the host’s Socialist Party, Prime Minister Edi Rama, won Albania’s May 11 parliamentary electionattract voters who support the long effort and somewhat uphill the country to join the European Union. The vote secured a fourth mandate for branch.
The prime minister said that the summit is a point of pride for Albania, and an “inspiration and motivation to continue later.”
His socialist party says he can deliver EU membership in five years.
The EPC forum is the creation of Macron, and was supported by former German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz, with the aim of promoting security and prosperity throughout the continent. But critics said it was an attempt to stop the EU expansion.
The 2022 opening summit involved the 27 EU member countries, aspiring partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as neighbors such as the United Kingdom, the only country that has left the EU and Turkey.
Russia is the only unavoidant European power, along with Belarus, its neighbor and supporter in the war with Ukraine.
The next meeting will take place in Denmark at the end of this year.
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Cook reported from Brussels.
