President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday stressed “the need for full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine” during video calls with European leaders held in light of Monday night’s meeting between European leaders and United States President Donald Trump on the Ukraine war at the White House.

According to government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Christodoulides “underlined the historical experience with which Cyprus has been dealing for 51 years under the illegal Turkish occupation”.

Letymbiotis also said that the day’s third call, attended by the European Union’s 27 member states’ heads of government and European Council president Antonio Costa, saw a “detailed briefing” of Monday night’s meeting, and then a “substantive exchange of views” between the 27.

He said Christodoulides had “highlighted the critical nature of the issue of the occupied Ukrainian territories”, and added that “any solution must be based on the full respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

Additionally, he said, Christodoulides had said that “the historical experience of Cyprus, with 37 per cent of its territory remaining for 51 years under illegal Turkish occupation, confirms in the clearest way the need to defend these principles, with no compromises or exceptions”.

At the same time, he said, Christodoulides offered assurances that “the Republic of Cyprus will continue to stand consistently and resolutely by the side of Ukraine and its people, supporting their just fight for freedom, independence, and the restoration of its territorial integrity”.

He added that Christodoulides had “stressed … that Cyprus, as a member state of the European Union experiencing the consequences of occupation, inextricably links its own experience with the European fight against any policy of occupation and revisionism, which goes against peace, security and the international order”.

Costa, meanwhile, wrote in a social media post that the EU “firmly supports the Ukrainian people and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy”.

“Ukraine has been – and will remain – at the top of leaders’ agendas in the weeks and months ahead, as we continue to support efforts towards a just and sustainable peace,” he said, adding that as a first step, Russia must immediately end the violence.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also released a short statement, saying that “everyone wants peace” and “no one wants Ukraine to capitulate”.

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, meanwhile, said his country “has always insisted that an end to the war must be obtained through diplomatic means, with the full participation of Ukraine in any peace talks, and that Ukraine must be supported to ensure that President Zelenskiy can enter into these negotiations from a position of strength.

“Ireland is firmly committed to Ukraine’s future as a member of the European Union, and such membership must be part of any security guarantees. Russia cannot have a veto on Ukraine’s path towards EU membership,” he said.

Monday night’s meeting came after Trump invited Zelenskiy to the White House following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday night.

Zelenskiy was joined at the White House by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Before the meeting, Trump had insisted in a social media post that any peace deal for Ukraine would entail “no getting back Obama given Crimea”, which Russia invaded in 2014, and “no going into Nato by Ukraine”.

Trump had also erroneously asserted that Russia had taken Ukraine “without a shot being fired”.

After Monday night’s meeting, Trump said he had called Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskiy”.

“After that meeting takes place, we will have a [trilateral meeting], which would be the two presidents, plus myself,” he said.

Zelenskiy, meanwhile, said he is “ready for a bilateral with Putin”, while also stressing that the “key issue” for him was that of “security guarantees”.

“Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace,” he added.

Macron also spoke after leaving the White House and stressed the need for European boots on the ground in Ukraine after the end of the war.

“We are going to need a strong Ukrainian army and will need to help Ukraine with boots on the ground… We will need peacekeeping operations which allies of Ukraine are willing to supply,” he said.

He added that he is “not convinced Russia wants peace”, and that European leaders had “made clear to Trump” that a peace agreement cannot take months.

Merz, meanwhile, criticised Russia’s territorial demands.

“The Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbas is, to put it in perspective, equivalent to the US having to give up Florida,” he told reporters.