TIRANA — Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, and Poland joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday in condemning Russia’s latest stance in peace negotiations as unacceptable, following a brief and unproductive round of talks in Istanbul.
The comments came during a European Political Community summit held in Tirana, Albania, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a joint statement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
According to Starmer, the four leaders met with Zelenskiy to discuss the outcome of the first direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in over three years. The talks, held earlier that day in Istanbul, lasted less than two hours and yielded no significant progress. A Ukrainian official described Moscow’s demands as “non-starters.”
“We agreed that Russia’s position is clearly unacceptable—this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this,” Starmer said. He also confirmed that the group had consulted with U.S. President Donald Trump, emphasizing a unified Western response. “We are now closely coordinating our next steps and will continue to do so.” The leaders declined to answer questions from the media following the announcement.