The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the EU High Representative was focused on Russian aggression against Ukraine and Euro-Atlantic security.
Participants welcomed U.S.-led peace efforts and the prospect of further talks in Turkey this week.
“So far, Russia has not shown any serious intent to make progress. It must do so without delay. We joined Ukraine in calling for an immediate, full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just, comprehensive and lasting peace,” the statement said.
They also agreed to further strengthen Ukraine's defenses.
“Strong Ukrainian armed forces will be vital. We agreed to work with Ukraine on initiatives to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces, restock munitions and equipment, and further enhance industrial capacity. We are committed to robust security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes exploring the creation of a coalition of air, land and maritime reassurance forces that could help create confidence in any future peace and support the regeneration of Ukraine’s armed forces.”
The ministers also announced new sanctions against Russia and committed to work on new reconstruction and recovery efforts, including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10-11.
“We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia’s ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy. We will keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilized until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage caused.”
The ministers also stressed the importance of increasing defense spending and strengthening defense capabilities within NATO and the EU. The statement underscored the importance of closer cooperation between the EU, NATO, and Ukraine to protect the European continent from threats posed by Russia.
The meeting in London took place ahead of a summit of European and British leaders next week.