In a call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden on Friday reiterated his stance that Ukraine must be involved in any talks about bringing to an end the war started by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Nothing about Ukraine can be decided without Ukraine and Europe,” Frieden wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) after the call.
Monday 24 February marks the three-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa will travel to Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm support for what Costa called the “hero-like Ukrainian people and the democratically elected president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.”
Frieden, meanwhile, placed a call with Zelenskiy on Friday afternoon to reaffirm Luxembourg’s support of Ukraine and its people, and, as the Ukrainian president wrote in his own social media post, to discuss plans and joint steps toward ending the war.
“We value Luxembourg’s readiness to continue military, financial and humanitarian support, as well as its strong voice in accelerating Ukraine’s EU accession talks,” Zelenskiy wrote.
He added that it was essential to have a united European position and prepare a common vision for achieving a just peace and reliable security guarantees.
“The war is happening in Ukraine—and in Europe. That is why Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table with the United States,” he said.
The call followed a fractious week in which US and Russian representatives, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, met in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to end the war.
As well as von der Leyen and Costa, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he will also visit the Ukrainian capital on Monday.
Online magazine Politico reported on Friday that the heads of government from Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Canada will either physically participate in the meeting or will join virtually.