European leaders have issued a joint statement warning that any negotiations with Russia must include Ukraine, as Washington prepares for a high-profile meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The declaration, signed by the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission, emphasized that “international borders must not be changed by force” and that “Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny.” The statement, BBC reports, came as concerns grow among European allies about being sidelined in US-Russia talks.
Trump has floated the idea of a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but has not confirmed it. For now, the meeting is set to be a one-on-one with Putin, as originally requested by Moscow. A White House official said Trump is open to including Zelensky, but Putin’s agreement remains uncertain.
Zelensky has pushed back against the possibility of deals made without Kyiv’s participation. “Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace,” he wrote on Telegram. He rejected Trump’s suggestion that “there will be some swapping of territories” to secure an agreement, insisting, “We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated.”
Reports from CBS suggest the White House is attempting to persuade European allies to accept a settlement that would see Russia retain Crimea and take control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky warned against any arrangement that allows Moscow to gain “more convenient positions… to resume the war.”
French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the need for European involvement, writing on X, “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.”
US Vice President JD Vance visited the UK on Saturday to meet with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and two of Zelensky’s top aides. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, reiterated that “a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table” and stressed that “the frontline is not a border.”
The Alaska summit will be the first meeting between a sitting US and Russian president since June 2021, when President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva—nine months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The declaration, signed by the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission, emphasized that “international borders must not be changed by force” and that “Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny.” The statement, BBC reports, came as concerns grow among European allies about being sidelined in US-Russia talks.
Trump has floated the idea of a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but has not confirmed it. For now, the meeting is set to be a one-on-one with Putin, as originally requested by Moscow. A White House official said Trump is open to including Zelensky, but Putin’s agreement remains uncertain.
Zelensky has pushed back against the possibility of deals made without Kyiv’s participation. “Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace,” he wrote on Telegram. He rejected Trump’s suggestion that “there will be some swapping of territories” to secure an agreement, insisting, “We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated.”
Reports from CBS suggest the White House is attempting to persuade European allies to accept a settlement that would see Russia retain Crimea and take control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky warned against any arrangement that allows Moscow to gain “more convenient positions… to resume the war.”
French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the need for European involvement, writing on X, “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.”
US Vice President JD Vance visited the UK on Saturday to meet with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and two of Zelensky’s top aides. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, reiterated that “a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table” and stressed that “the frontline is not a border.”
The Alaska summit will be the first meeting between a sitting US and Russian president since June 2021, when President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva—nine months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
