Several European leaders traveled to Ukraine’s embattled capital in support of the country on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Monday – despite the danger and contentious peace negotiations that are ongoing between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow.
At least 13 European leaders are expected in Kyiv today, according to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs. An additional 24 leaders will join the talks virtually to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and collective European security.
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“Let’s be clear: a free and sovereign Ukraine is not only in the European interest,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X after arriving in Kyiv. “It’s also in the interest of the entire world.”
“We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after arriving in Kyiv.
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“In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake,” she added. “It’s Europe’s destiny.”
One ally was noticeably absent from the gathering – the US.
No American representative attended Monday’s events, a worrying sign after the relationship betqeen US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heated up over the last few weeks as the US moved forward with peace negotiations without Kyiv’s participation.
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “a war on our way of life, a war on democracy, on the rule of law and self-determination, a war on justice, a war on truth.”
He called Russia’s blatant attacks on civilians “disgusting war crimes” and repeated his country’s unwavering alliance with Kyiv.
“Ukrainians will triumph because Ukrainians are fighting for what is right, but they cannot and should not do it alone,” he said.
“Ukrainians have lost their lives fighting courageously for their land, children [have been] taken from their families and homes and communities, which is a disgusting war crime.”
Let’s be clear: a free and sovereign Ukraine is not only in the European interest.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 24, 2025
It’s also in the interest of the entire world.
An investment in Ukraine’s sovereignty is an investment in the prevention of future wars.
My statement in Kyiv ↓ https://t.co/TLVVKvUwxu
“We must bring our collective strength to the peace effort. President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the European delegation via video.
“Now we must get the fundamentals right,” he continued. “If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.”
He also repeated the UK’s offer to send troops to Ukraine, alongside other European countries, in support of a peace deal.
The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, reiterated her country’s steadfast support for Ukraine and its membership in NATO.
“I have never believed that this war is primarily about Ukraine,” she said in Kyiv. “You are paying the price for it, but this war is about Russia. It’s about the imperial dream, and therefore I find it very difficult to trust Putin and to trust Russia.”
“And it goes without saying that nothing should be negotiated without Ukraine, not only at the table, but in the center of the table,” she added.
The Austrian chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, also emphasized that there can be no end to the war without Ukraine staying at the center of all peace negotiations.
“It is clear this brutal war must stop,” he said. “The earlier the better. And like any war, it has to end at the negotiating table, with all parties concerned sitting at the table.
“But it must not end under any circumstances – and I don’t believe it will – as an imposed peace,” he added.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, “the Ukrainian people can count on Spain” and assured Europe that Madrid would stand firmly alongside EU plans to bolster support for Ukraine.
He said: “Difficult months lie ahead, but I am convinced that at the end of this terrible period, freedom and democracy will prevail over violence and authoritarianism,” and “Whatever happens in the coming months, Ukrainians accession to the European Union is the most important victory for the Ukrainian people.”
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, President of the European Council Costa, and President of the European Commission von der Leyen issued a joint statement about the meeting:
Three years ago Russia started its full-scale and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia’s brutal war deliberately targets civilian and critical infrastructure. Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population. We continue to call for accountability for all war crimes and crimes against humanity committed.
The European Union will continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support, including reconstruction of the country after the war. We have taken unprecedented actions at the EU level to ramp up European defense industry production, and we will continue to increase our capacity. This will allow us to step up our military support and cooperation with Ukraine while simultaneously strengthening our defense readiness and European sovereignty.
Several leading European figures attended today’s event in Kyiv, including:
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- António Costa, President of the European Council
- Alexander Schallenberg, Chancellor of Austria
- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
- Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark
- Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia
- Alexander Stubb, President of Finland
- Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
- Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia
- Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania
- Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway
- Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
- Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden
On Monday, the European Union also imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia.
This is the 16th EU sanctions package against Russia and includes a new ban on primary aluminum imports and the designation of dozens of more ships as shadow vessels and sanction busters.
“An investment in Ukraine’s sovereignty is an investment in the prevention of future wars,” von der Leyen wrote on social media.
Other EU representatives are also descending on the US to speak with US President Donald Trump about continuing American support for Ukraine and NATO after American officials made several over the last few weeks, rattling the long-standing trans-Atlantic relationship between the US and Europe.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met his counterpart US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, while France’s President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet Trump today and the United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer is scheduled for a White House meeting on Feb. 27.
Ukraine's allies are arriving in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 24, 2025
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa, PM of Canada Justin Trudeau, PM of Estonia Kristen Michal, PM of Spain… pic.twitter.com/NCYXaijDxD
The President of the European Council, António Costa, announced on Sunday that he would convene an emergency summit of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on March 6 to discuss Ukraine.
“We are living in a defining moment for Ukraine and European security,” Costa wrote on social media.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information is available.
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