European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated Thursday evening that “next week will be decisive” for developments in Ukraine, emphasizing once again that the EU’s goal remains achieving “just and sustainable peace.” The German head of the Commission mentioned that she had conversations with partners from the “coalition of the willing” supporting Kyiv. “Despite the pressure, we remain firm in our goal: to achieve a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine,” she wrote on “X”.
She emphasized that “sustainable” peace means that any agreement must not contain elements that could lead to future conflict or destabilize the overall European security architecture.
She also added that the need for strong and credible security guarantees was discussed. “I briefed the leaders on our efforts to secure Ukraine’s financing for 2026-2027. Our proposals are on the table and we all share the sense of urgency,” she added.
Touched base with partners from the Coalition of the Willing during a very intense week of peace talks.
Despite the pressure, we remain absolutely firm in our goal: achieving a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine.
Sustainable means that any peace agreement must not contain…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 11, 2025
“US continues to demand major concessions from Ukraine in negotiations to end war with Russia”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that the US continues to demand major concessions from his country in negotiations to end the war with Russia, including withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas. For his part, Donald Trump feels “extremely disappointed” due to the stance of Kyiv and Moscow and wants to see “action” to end the armed conflict, according to the White House spokesperson.
EU heads of state and government meet in Brussels from Thursday, December 18th, at the summit where the Commission’s proposal for financing Ukraine with potential use of Russian assets frozen under European jurisdiction will be discussed.
So far the proposal faces resistance from Belgium, where the largest portion of Russian central bank capital is located. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever emphasizes that his country will not bear alone the burden of potentially paying if a legal obstacle arises. Without strong and binding guarantees from the remaining 26 EU member states, “I will do everything to prevent this decision,” he declared in Brussels in early December.
