According to RT, European leaders have vowed to continue military aid to Kiev and affirmed that the NATO door remains open, despite Moscow's warning that this is the root cause of the conflict.
The joint statement by European leaders came after the Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the two sides discussed steps to end the Ukrainian conflict. Although there has been no agreement, Trump called the meeting very effective and said he will meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington D.C. on August 18.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Poland, Finland, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission signed a statement on August 16, welcoming Mr. Trump's diplomatic efforts but affirming that they would increase military aid. We are determined to do more to help Ukraine be strong enough to end the war, the statement said.
European countries have rejected any ideas of territorial comprises, stressing that only Ukraine has the right to decide on its territory. This is in contrast to the "land exchange" proposal that Mr. Trump had raised as part of the deal with Russia.
The statement also said that Europe is ready to provide security guarantees to Kiev through a "voluntary alliance" led by France and the UK. This plan to deploy NATO forces in Ukraine was strongly opposed by Moscow.
The statement affirmed: No limits should be placed on the Ukrainian armed forces or their cooperation with third countries. Russia has no right to deny Ukraine's path to join the EU and NATO".
Meanwhile, just a day ago, Mr. Trump announced that Ukraine would not join NATO. On the Air Force One, he emphasized: "Ensuring security for Ukraine will not come from NATO, because there are things that will never happen."
Russia has long been steadfast in requiring Ukraine to remain neutral, away from NATO, withdraw militaryops and recognize newly added territories to Russia.
