European leaders are prepared to take on a leading role in negotiations to end the full-scale conflict in Ukraine. This was stated on Monday by an official spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Politico reports.

“The new element, in my view, is that this process is now gaining fresh momentum in Europe,” said Stefan Kornelius, Merz’s spokesperson, commenting on the outcome of the meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which took place late Sunday evening in London.  “Another important change is that we are taking over and continuing the negotiation process that had previously been led mainly by the United States. We are doing this in close coordination with Washington.”

In a joint statement published on Sunday, Friedrich Merz and his counterparts from France and the United Kingdom — together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — called for “direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia with the active participation of the United States and Europe,” and also set out five conditions for achieving peace, including an immediate and full ceasefire.

The document emphasizes that the starting point for negotiations should be the current line of contact between Russian and Ukrainian forces, and that Ukraine must receive “reliable and legally binding” security guarantees. Russian assets should remain frozen until the Kremlin “ceases military action and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused.”

According to Kornelius, European leaders will continue discussing their approach to potential peace talks at the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Evian, as well as during the European Council summit in Brussels next week.