Editor's note: This story has been updated with details on a joint statement issued by E3 leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, and Ukraine issued a joint statement on June 7 setting out five conditions that must be met between Kyiv and Moscow to bring a resolution to Russia's war in Ukraine.
The statement — which closely aligns with an open letter that was sent by President Volodymyr Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin days earlier suggesting the two leaders press forward with direct bilateral peace talks — was issued following Zelensky's visit to London for bilateral talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and E3-format discussions with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
The joint statement "welcomed" Ukraine's recent battlefield advancements, as well as the "ground-breaking use of drone technology" — partially referring to Ukraine's recent advancements in medium-range strikes on Russian logistics behind the front line. The leaders discussed how to ".best coordinate further support for Ukraine based on its prioritised needs" ahead of several upcoming international gatherings, including the G7 Leaders' Summit.
The statement list five conditions "that would need to be in place for a just and lasting peace," including calls for Putin to accept "an immediate and complete ceasefire," as well for negotiations to begin at "the current line of contact" — directly mirroring Zelensky's open letter.
"Third, Ukraine must have robust and legally binding security guarantees in place once a ceasefire enters into force," the joint statement continues, further calling on the deployment fo a multi-national force to enforce the ceasefire.
The fourth condition calls for compensation for damages caused by Russia throughout the war, with leaders vowing that Russian assets will remain immobilized until Moscow ends the war and provides restitution.
"Fifth, that European security interests must be safeguarded in any deal. Elements of any negotiation related to the EU and NATO would need the consent of the EU and its Member States and NATO Allies respectively."
Despite months of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations, Putin has repeatedly refused to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Russian president dismissed Zelensky's open letter the day after is was issued.
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky said that "Europe should be (included) in the negotiations and should be strong." The president will also meet with the U.K.'s King Charles III on June 8.
The open letter said that Russia and Ukraine should begin talks directly, but noted that "other specific participants may join the bilateral track that has been started between us."
"We believe that Europe needs to participate — those who really have the ability to influence the situation," Zelensky wrote.
In an interview with U.K. outlet Sky News on June 7, Zelensky reiterated his letter's call to begin a ceasefire by freezing the battlefield lines along their current positions.
"We want to stop the war in a way where the war will not come back," he told Sky News.
"It's not the idea just to freeze, but the quickest way to is to freeze and to move it to a diplomatic setting."
French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 5 that the E3 meetings would focus on how to structure future peace talks.
As "by far the largest contributors to Ukraine's war effort, it is the Europeans who must, at some point, be around the negotiating table for a peace plan," Macron said.
Macron and Starmer have teamed up as leaders of the "coalition of the willing," a group of countries working to coordinate postwar security guarantees for Ukraine. Still, they have been largely sidelined from the U.S.-brokered peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
While U.S. intervention in the peace process has stalled amid the war against Iran, Zelensky has sought to revitalize diplomatic negotiations by appealing directly to Russia and creating more room for European involvement.
The Kremlin has recently signaled openness to a European role in diplomacy but proposed Gerhard Schroder as a potential mediator. Kyiv and European officials rejected the idea in May, citing Schroder's longstanding ties to Putin and Russia.
Starmer previously spoke to Zelensky in a phone call on June 3, expressing condolences for Russia's recent mass attacks on Kyiv and discussing London's latest raft of sanctions against Moscow.
