The press briefing with Zelenskyy and von der Leyen lasted 14 minutes and was broadcast on YouTube.Statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy“We have to stop the killings. Putin has many demands but we do not know all of them. If there are really as many as we heard, then it will take time to go through them all. It is impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. So it’s necessary to cease fire and work quickly on a final deal,” Zelenskyy said.He also proposed a venue for possible negotiations with the Russian leader.“We need real negotiations, which means they can start where the front line is now. The contact line is the best line for talking. And Europeans support this, and we thank everyone,” the Ukrainian president said.At the same time, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine cannot give up any part of its sovereign territory or trade land.“Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region, Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years. And the Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land. Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral – Ukraine, United States, Russia. So far, Russia gives no sign the trilateral will happen, and if Russia refuses, then new sanctions must follow,” Zelenskyy said.Statement by Ursula von der LeyenThe European Commission president emphasized that the term “ceasefire” is not what matters, but the action itself. She stated that whether it is called a ceasefire or a peace agreement is irrelevant; what is important is to stop the killings. She underlined the significance of a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, and stressed the need for a clear timeframe to be followed, noting that the focus should be on the content rather than deadlines.The leaders of Ukraine and the EU aligned their positions ahead of the planned meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, where he is expected to try to persuade them to accept Putin’s plan. This plan reportedly involves granting Russia the entire Donbas in exchange for a supposed ceasefire, imposing restrictions on the Ukrainian Defense Forces, renouncing Ukraine’s European integration, restoring the privileged status of the Russian language and the Russian church, all while allowing Russia to retain control over all currently occupied Ukrainian territories.