Tirana [Albania], May 17 (ANI): President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a series of meetings with European leaders and held discussions with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.

President Zelenskyy emphasised the need to increase international pressure on Russia and stressed that a ceasefire is the first step toward achieving peace. The talks also focused on bolstering military support, enhancing Ukraine's air defence and defence production capabilities, and accelerating Ukraine's path toward European Union membership.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, 'I held a meeting with the President of the European Council @eucopresident, Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula @vonderleyen. I informed them on today's negotiations in Istanbul. Pressure on Russia must increase if it does not agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire. I am therefore grateful for the preparation of the 17th sanctions package. We expect it to target everything that funds Russia's war machine: banks, oil, energy, metallurgy, and the shadow fleet.'

He added, 'Special attention was given to our path toward the EU -- the possibility of swiftly opening negotiation clusters and trade cooperation. Thank you for supporting Ukraine and helping bring us closer to a just peace.'

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President Zelenskyy and PM Schoof of the Netherlands discussed Ukraine's defence needs, including enhanced air defence systems and investment in domestic defence production.

Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy said, 'During my meeting with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof @MinPres, I thanked him for the strong support for Ukraine. This year, the Netherlands has nearly tripled its defence aid. We truly appreciate this contribution to protecting the lives of our people.'

President Zelenskyy also emphasised the importance of increasing international pressure on Russia and reiterated that achieving a full ceasefire is the first step toward a reliable peace.

The post added, 'I spoke about today's meeting in Istanbul and the importance of increasing pressure on Russia to achieve a full ceasefire as the first step toward reliable peace. We also discussed our country's needs: strengthening air defence and investing in our defence production -- everything that helps save lives from Russian aggression and restore security for our people.'

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President Zelenskyy and Danish PM Frederiksen exchanged views on recent diplomatic negotiations in Istanbul and emphasised the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia.

In another post, Zelenskyy wrote, 'I had a good meeting with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen @Statsmin. We discussed the continuation of military support and direct investments in Ukraine's defence industry. Denmark is one of the leaders in supporting our state and is preparing the 26th package of military aid for Ukraine. This support helps save lives, and we deeply appreciate it.'

'We also talked about the negotiations in Istanbul and the coordination of diplomatic efforts with the US and European partners. We share the view that pressure on Russia is crucial if they refuse to agree to a ceasefire. In July this year, Denmark will begin its Presidency of the EU Council. We are counting on their support for Ukraine's European integration, which we discussed during the meeting. I thank the Government and all the people of Denmark for every form of assistance to our state and for their unwavering support of our people,' the post added.

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In a meeting with Swedish PM Kristersson, President Zelenskyy focused on the ongoing negotiations in Istanbul, the need to intensify international pressure on Russia, and the next steps in their joint efforts to secure peace.

'I had a substantive conversation with @SwedishPM Ulf Kristersson -- about the negotiations in Istanbul, increasing pressure on Russia, and our further joint actions. We also focused on cooperation within the Coalition of the Willing, security guarantees, and defence partnership,' Zelenskyy said on X.

He added, 'I am grateful to Sweden and the Nordic and Baltic countries for their joint statement supporting a full and unconditional ceasefire for 30 days and direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia at the highest level. This is crucial to give true diplomacy a chance.'

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Meanwhile, while attending the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, President Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister's Office of Ukraine said in a statement on Thursday, 'Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul. The President of Ukraine noted that the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations was represented at a high level and had a mandate to discuss a ceasefire.'

'The Ukrainian leader expressed gratitude for the presence in Istanbul of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, and Special Envoy of the President of the United States, Keith Kellogg. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked Turkiye for organising the negotiations,' the statement added.

The Ukrainian President also called for increased pressure on Russia and the introduction of strong additional sanctions. (ANI)