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In Yerevan, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with partners in the Washington format, UATV English reports.
The meeting was attended by President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte.
They discussed in detail strengthening air defense: production of necessary European systems and missiles, support for the PURL program, and opportunities to provide Europe with its own anti-ballistic capabilities. The President of Ukraine stressed that Europe must have its own ability to respond to ballistic threats.
Ahead of the meeting, Mark Carney announced an additional $200 million for the PURL program. Mark Rutte assured that deliveries of anti-ballistic missiles for Ukraine are continuing within previous agreements.
They also had a substantive discussion on diplomacy. The President noted that there is an obvious pause in trilateral negotiations caused by the war in Iran.
Leaders discussed how to intensify the negotiation process, contacts with the United States, and Europe’s role. Participants share a common view: Europe’s positions must be heard and taken into account, therefore Europe must have a place at the negotiating table.
Special attention was given to the situation on the front line. The President informed about Russian losses, which reach 35,000 personnel per month. All partners noted that Ukraine’s positions are now significantly stronger, as well as Ukraine’s work with countries of the Middle East and the Gulf region.
The Head of State also briefed partners on threats from Russia based on Ukrainian intelligence data.
In addition, they discussed energy support for Ukraine and protection of energy infrastructure facilities. The President thanked the European Union for unblocking a €90 billion financial package. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine expects the funds to begin arriving in the near future. Part of them will be directed to enable the rapid implementation of resilience plans in preparation for winter.
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