European leaders, Zelenskyy hold pre-Washington talks on Ukraine

The gathering took place by video link and included several of Ukraine’s key allies.

New Delhi | August 17, 2025 09:29 PM IST

2 min read

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference with European Commission Ursula van der Leyen and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of the so-called "coalition of the willing"Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025 at the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France. (Photo: AP)

A meeting of European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held ahead of talks in Washington, has concluded, Poland’s foreign minister said on Sunday.

“The Western Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine meeting concluded ahead of tomorrow’s talks in Washington,” Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on X. “I emphasised that for peace to come, pressure must be placed on the aggressor, not the victim.”

The gathering took place by video link and included several of Ukraine’s key allies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron joined the talks, with Zelenskyy appearing on screen, CNN reported.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb also confirmed his participation. “Today, I participated in a meeting of heads of state and government from the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine,” he wrote on X.

He added that “there is a strong consensus among the Coalition countries on the need to continue supporting Ukraine.”

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