Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and stressed that any peace agreement with Russia must include Ukraine's presence at the negotiating table, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Trudeau reaffirmed Canada's support for Kiev and “stressed that there can be no sustainable peace in Europe without security for Ukraine“.
Earlier in the day, the Canadian prime minister also had a telephone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform and Italian agency ANSA reported.
After “an exchange of views on important issues of international politics and the latest developments (of the situation) in Ukraine“, Meloni confirmed that “Italy's priority is the same as that of the rest of Europe, NATO and Kiev – to do everything possible to stop the conflict and achieve peace“, her office said in a statement.
In the statement published on the Italian government website, Meloni recalled that “the courage and determination of the Ukrainians together with the support of the West were the factors that created the conditions for negotiations on a possible peace agreement today“.
“Italy, together with the United States and its European and Western partners, is working for a lasting peace in Europe, which requires real and effective guarantees for the security of Ukraine“, the statement said.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on the social network “Ex“ that he had also spoken to Zelensky on Thursday to discuss with him the latest diplomatic efforts and prepare the next steps, including for his trip to Washington next week.
Macron specified that this was his fourth conversation with the Ukrainian president this week, and his goal was to take stock of all the contacts he had with “European partners and allies who want to work for a lasting and solid peace for Ukraine and to strengthen European security“.
Macron is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
Meanwhile, Zelensky said last night that his talks with US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg had "restored hopes" for reaching a security and investment agreement with Washington, Reuters reported.
"The details of the agreement are important. The better the details are worked out, the better the result," he added during his traditional evening video address.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last night at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in South Africa that "China supports all efforts leading to peace (in Ukraine), including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia," Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
“China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in the political solution based on the needs of the parties involved and the concerns of the international community,“ the ministry said in a statement released this morning.
On the sidelines of the G20 summit, Wang Yi held bilateral meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Reuters noted.