Defence ministers of five NATO countries reaffirm support for Ukraine

Everyone agrees that Ukraine can count on the continued and broad support of the G5,

the German Ministry of Defence said after the meeting

Michael Waltznational security adviser

We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security,

Waltz said

Jean-Noël Barrotfrench Foreign Minister

Such a truce – on air, sea and energy infrastructure – would allow us to determine whether Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith” and gauge his attitude to “real peace negotiations”.

The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said on Monday

What happened Friday really put that up in the air.”

Speaking to Fox on Monday morning, Waltz did not say Zelenskyy

Donald Trump has to choose if he wants to call himself a leader of the free world, or leader of an extortion gang. The latter is not interesting for Europe."

One senior official declared in the aftermath of the blow-up

We know that they expect us to take greater responsibility for Europe’s security, and we must be ready for that,

said a senior European official

Peter Mandelsonlord

The Russians need to know that they're going to answer to the United States as well as to the Europeans on the ground,

Mandelson told ABC News on Sunday

Jana Puglierinsecurity expert

It seems to me that many have still not fully accepted that Trump simply does not want to play the role that Europeans want him to play,

said Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank

Do we consider Volodymr Zelenskiy an important resistance fighter, a hero? The answer is yes. Should we be making judgment or taking the moral high ground? Then the answer is no,

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told RTL Radio on Monday

No 'strong US backing' will materialize,

she posted on X in a comment on Starmer's remarks

There will be intense work in the coming days,

an EU official, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the discussions but is part of the preparations for Thursday's meeting, told CNBC Monday

Maria Zakharovaforeign Ministry spokeswoman

Otherwise, this problem will continue to poison the atmosphere on the European continent,

said Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on February 18.

Mark Ruttegeneral

We have not paid enough over the last 40 years, particularly since the Berlin Wall came down,

Rutte told Politico on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 15.

Kaja KallaseU foreign policy chief

Europeans need to wake up,

said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas at a conference of the European Defence Agency on January 22.

Keir Starmerprime Minister

This government will begin the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War,

Starmer told parliament

Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary

Stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe,

declared Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a meeting of NATO allies on February 12.

If we cannot be accepted to Nato, ... we need some clear structure of security guarantees from our allies in the US.”

Zelenskyy wrote in a statement

We will never accept just [a] ceasefire. It will not work without security guarantees.”

The Ukrainian president stated flatly

I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much,

Trump said

This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing,

Mr Trump wrote on social media on Monday, a day after the Ukrainian leader discussed possible peace efforts with 18 mostly European counterparts in London