PM repeats his unwavering support for Ukraine

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday repeated his unwavering support for Ukraine after a video conference of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" hosted by European Council President Antonio Costa. 

"Today, we held an online meeting of the Coalition of the Willing and the European Council on the next steps to end the war in Ukraine," wrote the prime minister on his official X profile.

"We all support ending the war as soon as possible, since it has claimed many lives. I stressed the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace, which will protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and provide it with solid security guarantees. In doing so, we are contributing to European and global security. We will continue to provide comprehensive assistance to Ukraine," he wrote.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the most important task of the global community was "to stop the killing".

Costa said whether it was a ceasefire or a truce was of secondary importance and that strong pressure on Russia must continue.

"Furthermore, Ukraine's future depends not only on strong security guarantees and a possible peace deal with Russia, but also on its European path. That is why we must continue the enlargement process," he said.

Tuesday's video conference was meant to summarize a meeting in Washington the previous day which saw US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodomyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders discuss peace in Ukraine.