Thank you very much, Mr. President. Dear Volomir, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to Brussels. I am very glad to be here today with you to participate in our bilateral meeting. We have just held our meeting, and at the same time we will move forward within the framework of a voluntary alliance. Of course, I am delighted to accompany you and the other European leaders tomorrow when we meet with the President of the United States at the White House.

Since Russia launched its brutal invasion, Europe has remained united in support of Ukraine. We will stand by you for as long as it takes, until justice and a lasting peace are achieved. Such peace must be achieved through strength. Let me highlight some key points.

First, we must have strong security guarantees to protect the vital interests of Ukraine and Europe. Ukraine must be able to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Ukrainian people must not face any restrictions on their armed forces, whether in cooperation with third countries or in receiving aid from them. As people often say, Ukraine must become a “steel hedgehog,” too difficult for any potential invader to swallow.

We welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article Five–style security guarantees for Ukraine. The voluntary alliance, including the European Union, is prepared to do its part. We know that defending Europe is first and foremost our responsibility, and we are working hard to move faster and expand, strengthening Europe’s defense capacity through security mechanisms. We are ensuring that the defense needs of member states and Ukraine can be matched, and that Ukraine’s defense industry base is reinforced. I am particularly thinking of drones, which is in our common interest.

At the same time, we continue to support Ukraine on its path toward EU membership. This in itself is also a form of security guarantee.

My second point concerns Ukrainian territory. Our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force. These decisions belong to Ukraine, and only to Ukraine. And these decisions must be made by Ukraine at the negotiating table.

My third and final point is that as long as Ukraine continues to bleed, Europe will maintain diplomatic and especially economic pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions. We have already adopted 18 packages, and we are preparing the 19th, which will be unveiled at the beginning of September. We know sanctions work. We have paralyzed Russia’s assets, redirected them for Ukraine, and will keep putting pressure on Russia’s war economy to bring President Putin to the negotiating table.

We are working closely with Volomir. In this sense, President Trump and we will discuss all of these subjects and more at tomorrow’s joint meeting at the White House. These are challenging times. Only Ukraine can choose its destiny, but Ukraine can always rely on Europe.

Thank you very much. Thank you indeed.

Thank you very much, dear friends. Thank you for your support. Thank you for everything. This is very important for all of us. From the very beginning of the war, you have stood with us. Together with you, we speak with the United States, and that is essential. Washington is with us. Today we are holding discussions in several forums, and we will continue them in Washington.

Dear journalists, it is vital that Europe remains as united now as it was during the Second World War, and as it was in 2022 when the full-scale war began. This unity truly helps to bring about real peace, and it must remain strong.

First, we must stop the killing. Putin has many demands, but we do not know all of them. If there are indeed as many as we hear, then it would take time to address them all. It is impossible to do so under the pressure of weapons. That is why there must be a ceasefire and swift action toward a final agreement. We will discuss this further in Washington. Putin does not want to stop the killing, but he must.

Second, we need real negotiations, which means they can begin right from the front line. The line of contact is the best starting point. We thank Europe for its support and are grateful to everyone. Russia still has not succeeded in Donetsk.

For 12 years Putin has failed to achieve his goals. The Ukrainian Constitution makes it impossible to cede or trade away territory. Because territorial issues are so crucial, they should only be discussed directly between Ukraine and Russia, within a trilateral framework with the United States. So far, Russia has not shown readiness for such talks. If Russia refuses, then new sanctions must be imposed.

It is important that the United States agrees to cooperate with Europe in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. We are very grateful to the U.S. President for sending such a signal. This is a major change for everyone in Europe, even though details of how it would work and the U.S. role are still to be clarified. We need guarantees that work in practice like NATO’s Article Five. We consider EU membership to be part of such security guarantees for Ukraine.

We also heard from President Trump that both the U.S. and even Putin see it that way. So we discussed accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova. In my view, if division occurs here, it would automatically mean Europe is split over Ukraine. Europe must remain united and firm.

We also discussed defense. We agreed to cooperate more actively on security projects, and I especially look forward to support in the field of drones. This is a top priority. Secondly, thank you for the 18th sanctions package. It is essential that we prepare the 19th so Russia sees we are serious. Russia’s strategic direction is anti-European, so we must continue to limit its potential.

Finally, we spoke about support for Ukrainian children. We have a school meals program to ensure that during wartime every child can at least have safe access to a normal hot meal. The school year is about to begin, and I asked Ursula to help us strengthen this program. These are our children, this is our future, and everything must be for them. Thank you.

Thank you very much to both presidents. We can now take a few photos and then a few questions.

The first question comes from German media. Katarina asks: Presidents, do you agree with President Trump’s statement that a ceasefire is not necessary, and that peace negotiations should start immediately?

Answer:
I believe what matters is not terminology but results. The most important thing is to stop the killing. Whether we call it a ceasefire or a peace agreement, the point is to stop the killing. The first step must be a trilateral meeting between the President of Ukraine, the President of the United States, and Russia, with a clear timetable to be respected.

I completely agree. Already in March, the U.S. President proposed a ceasefire as the first step to stop the killing, and we supported that. It was a very strong idea to push Russia toward genuine negotiations. Now we are hearing another signal, and we must share all of this in detail, including what was said in our bilateral talks and in discussions with President Trump.

We need the United States on our side. President Trump said that what we need is not just a pause in the war, but real steps toward lasting peace. For us all, that is the goal. Thank you.

The last question came from a Ukrainian journalist, mainly concerning ground forces and air defense. Due to time constraints, the president had to leave for another meeting, and the press conference concluded.