Ukraine working with US on ‘compromises that strengthen us’, says Zelenskyy – Europe live

8.52am GMT Sweden’s Maria Malmer Stenergard also said it was “nothing but a disgrace” that the EU’s support for Ukraine remained “smaller than the collective purchase of Russian oil and gas since the full scale invasion.” “This needs to change now,” she said. She pointedly supported the idea of “moving forward with the reparations loan,” which continues to be blocked over Belgium’s concerns about the legal side of such move. “As Russia’s brutal war of aggression enters its fourth winter, I am urging international partners to help strengthen Ukraine by providing substantial military and civilian support,” she said. 8.49am GMT Sweden will not recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories, Swedish foreign minister says Speaking on behalf of the hosts, the Swedish foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, struck similar tones, stressing that Ukraine has repeatedly signaled its readiness to agree to a full, unconditional ceasefire, negotiate the peace settlement – but Russia has not. She said: “Since Russia has not changed its position, neither has Sweden nor the EU. Our position remains that to achieve a just and lasting peace, borders cannot be changed by force. There cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that will invite further Russian aggression, and there cannot be any limitations on the full sovereign rights of the Ukrainian people to choose their own path, which includes the path to EU membership. An agreement that includes those main elements that truly respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and that has the support of its people … will also have our support. But as long as the Russian aggression continues, Sweden has a clear two point plan to strengthen Ukraine and weaken Russia. You can count on our support.” She pointedly says that in Sweden’s view, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia all remain Ukrainian. “Let me be clear, Sweden will not recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea or any other part of Ukraine’s territory. We will not reward aggression.” 8.49am GMT Ukraine ready to move to peace with three key red lines, Ukrainian parliament speaker says Speaking at the same event, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, insisted that Ukraine was ready to move to “a genuine peace,” but outlined three red lines for Kyiv in any talks “which no one has the right to cross: physically, legally, morally.” He listed them as: no legal recognition of the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories no restrictions on Ukraine’s defence forces no veto on Ukraine’s right to choose its future alliances. Stefanchuk added that “any genuine peace process must be based on a very clear principle: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing about Europe without Europe.” He also stressed that any agreement must not violate the country’s constitution, which also repeats some of these points, for example on territory. He also picked up Zelenskyy’s points on Russian frozen assets, saying diverting them for Ukraine to use would be “the price for the lives taken and the price for the destruction inflicted” by Moscow. Stefanchuk also said that Ukraine’s membership of the EU and Nato should be part of future security guarantees, arguing that “only under these conditions will Russia retreat, because it will finally understand it cannot overcome” Ukraine’s yearning to confirm its status as part of the democratic world. 8.49am GMT Ukraine working with US to look 'compromises that strengthen, not weaken us,' Zelenskyy says Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that “the core principle that kept Europe peaceful longer than at any other time in its history must be respected,” as borders should not be changed by force. Speaking via a videolink at the opening session of the Crimea Platform parliamentary summit in Sweden, he warned that if this principle “does not work in Europe, then were will it work?” Talking about the Geneva talks this weekend, he said Ukraine was “working closely with the US, with European partners, and many, many others to define steps that can end Russia’s war against us … and bring real security” He said that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, wanted to get “legal recognition for what he has stolen to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.” He praised the talks with the US, saying they agreed on “extremely sensitive” points on the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukrainain children abducted by Russia, but noted that “to achieve real peace, more is needed.” “We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us, and we will continue explaining how dangerous it is to pretend that aggression is something one can simply overlook and move on.” He urged leaders to “not be passive observers of history” and “do not stay silent,” but defend the key principles of postwar peace in Europe: “that borders cannot be changed by force, that war criminals must not escaped justice, and that the aggressor must pay fully for the war it started.” Picking up on that last point, he said that “this is why decisions on Russian assets are essential,” as he asked them to “support these decisions and keep pressure on Russia.” 8.46am GMT Morning opening: Can Europe change the US-Russian plan? As my colleague Luke Harding reported overnight, the US and Ukraine said they had created an “updated and refined peace framework” to end the war with Russia, hours after European countries proposed their own radical alternative that omitted some of the pro-Russia points made in an original US-backed document that was leaked last week. It is not clear what’s the current text of the proposed peace deal. But the European counterproposal sought to radically overhaul the original plan in a bid to force the US to change its thinking and consider Ukrainian and European interests, too. Related: US and Ukraine promise ‘updated’ peace framework after criticism of pro-Russian points in original plan Offering his first reaction to the progress made over the weekend, Germany’s Johann Wadephul struck an optimistic tone as he said this morning that the talks produced a “decisive success” for the European side, and insisted that “all issues concerning Europe, including those concerning Nato, have been removed from this plan.” “It was clear from the outset, as we have repeatedly said, that any agreement must not be reached over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians,” he added. Finland’s influential president, Alexander Stubb, considered to be one of the European leaders with best access to US president Donald Trump, was markedly more cautious. After his debrief call with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said the talks marked “a step forward,” but “there are still major issues which remain to be resolved.” But the talks don’t stop here, and the EU leaders will be meeting to discuss the issue further in Luanda, the capital of Angola, on the margins of the EU-Africa summit. Lots to cover today as talks on Ukraine enter what could be a decisive phase. I will bring you all the key updates here. It’s Monday, 24 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.