Putin must come to negotiating table: EU Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen

UPDATED: Aug 29, 2025 06:21 IST

EU President Ursula von der Leyen has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “come to the negotiating table” after a new wave of Russian airstrikes struck Kyiv and caused damage at the capital's European Union delegation headquarters.

During a series of emergency calls involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to bolstering Ukraine’s defense while appealing for negotiations toward peace.

“Putin must come to the negotiating table,” she said firmly, warning that Europe would not tolerate Russia’s continuous assaults against civilian populations and infrastructures. “We must secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with firm and credible security guarantees that will turn the country into a steel porcupine.”

The Commission chief stressed that the EU’s support would remain unwavering, noting that Europe’s new defence instrument, SAFE, would play “an important role in strengthening the brave Ukrainian armed forces.”

Her comments followed what she described on X: “another night of Russia’s relentless bombings” that struck civilian sites and claimed innocent lives. “It also hit our EU Delegation in Kyiv. Our Delegation staff is safe. Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”

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