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United for Peace: Europe Rallies to Increase Pressure on Russia

16.05.2025

A summit of the European Political Community was held in Tirana, attended by around 50 heads of state and government, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk. During the event, the leaders of Poland, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. The leaders emphasized their determination to continue supporting Ukraine and the need to increase pressure on Russia after the failure of peace talks in Istanbul.

Prime Minister Tusk in Tirana.

Broken Peace Talks in Istanbul

Another meeting of the five-nation leaders — Poland, France, the UK, Germany, and Ukraine — took place a few days after talks in Kyiv with the same participants. At that time, the so-called "coalition of the willing" called on Vladimir Putin to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

 “We met again, a few days later, in the same format, together with President Zelensky. We spoke by phone with President Trump to summarize the negotiation efforts that began in Istanbul,” - said Donald Tusk during the European Political Community summit in Tirana.

However, these talks did not lead to any breakthrough. The Russians refused to halt the fire and made demands that were unacceptable to Ukraine and its allies.

“The message was clear: the Russian side showed no goodwill. The Russian side was unwilling to negotiate in the presence of the American side. The Russian side once again set conditions that were absolutely unacceptable, not only to Ukraine but to all of us,” - summarized the Prime Minister.

The leaders emphasized the need for continued international cooperation for peace in Ukraine. All countries must be united on this issue.

“We will continue to work together. The main task — to maintain full unity among European and American partners around the issue of Ukraine — remains valid,” - declared the head of government.

According to the Prime Minister, it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia in order to end the war, which has now lasted over three years.

Summit in Tirana: Europe Strengthens Resilience

Prime Minister Donald Tusk took part in the European Political Community summit in Tirana, where the main topics were security and the resilience of democratic systems. Particular attention was given to the challenges of disinformation and hybrid threats. The summit brought together about 50 leaders from across Europe, including leaders from the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Turkey, and the EU.

Before the summit began, the Prime Minister also held informal talks with, among others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa. The day before the summit, Donald Tusk also met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and held talks with leaders of the Western Balkan countries.

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