European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace within the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump said next Friday’s meeting along with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would give attention to ending the war, now in its fourth yr.
In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: “The top of the war have to be fair, and I’m grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”
Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries
Saturday’s statement by top European leaders got here after the White House confirmed the uspresident was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.”
That raised fears that Kyiv could also be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to talk publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with each the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he may have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials on the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend residence to debate the right way to end the war.
Trump previously said he would meet with Putin no matter whether the Russian leader agreed to satisfy with Zelenskyy.
The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of 1000’s of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it’s going to stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.
European leaders call for a “just and lasting peace”
Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the necessity for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.
“Ukraine has the liberty of alternative over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only happen within the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.
“The trail to peace in Ukraine can’t be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be modified by force,” the Europeans added.
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A fruitless push toward a truce
A month-long U.S.-led push to attain a truce in Ukraine has to date proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.
Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin didn’t move toward a settlement.
The deadline was Friday. The White House didn’t answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.
The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine hand over territory, abandon its bid to affix NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the remainder of the country.
Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.
Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “doesn’t appear to feel under pressure.”
For the Kremlin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. motion and the optics of a gathering with the U.S. president will already be wins,” Galeotti argued in an evaluation published Sunday by the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper.
Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory
Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine “is not going to give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians is not going to give their land to the occupier.”
Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv could be amenable to a peace deal that may de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily.
But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the query.
Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory could be “agonising” and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.
Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to spice up its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.
“Ahead lies a vital week of diplomacy,” he said.
Pushing for sanctions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are “intensively preparing” ahead of the Alaska summit, while they “hope and expect” that Zelenskyy will likely be invited.
Merz told Germany’s public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that “Putin only acts under pressure.”
Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin could be more willing to barter seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia’s economy.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps similar to allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump “clearly is putting pressure on Putin.”
“Next Friday will likely be essential because it’s going to be about testing Putin — how serious he’s — on bringing this terrible war to an end,” Rutte said in an interview with ABC’s This Week.
— Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
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