European leaders tell Trump Ukraine won't surrender land to Russia
On Monday, EU foreign ministers are set to hold emergency talks by video link to chart their next steps ahead of anticipated talks between US President Trump and Putin, due on Friday in Alaska. In a joint statement over the weekend, European powers, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, released a statement urging Trump to ensure that Ukraine was at the negotiating table. They said : 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.'
In the lead-up to the meeting, several leaders have shared their expectations. Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, insisted added that Mr Trump must consult with European leaders before the summit. Mr Trump proposed three-way talks with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts last week, but was shot down by Mr Putin who said the 'conditions' for his first meeting with Mr Zelenskyy since 2019 had not been met. Mr Putin will go into talks with the upper hand if Mr Zelenskyy is not present to argue Ukraine's case, as Russian forces continue to push into Ukraine. While Ukraine's war-weary population overwhelmingly wants an end to the conflict, the embattled nation is loathe to give up occupied land and Mr Zelenskyy maintains Ukraine will not - and constitutionally cannot - cede territory.
Mr Trump nonetheless said at the White House on Friday: 'We are looking to actually get some back and some swapping. It is complicated, actually nothing easy. We are going to get some back, some switched.' It was unclear from the comments what such a proposal would look like. Sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News that the White House is trying to encourage European leaders to accept a deal by which Russia would take the Donbas region and Crimea, and give up the partially-occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. While there is little appetite for such a deal in Ukraine or Europe, Kyiv will be careful not to appear obstinate to Mr Trump, after Washington withdrew vital aid earlier this year.
Without U.S. support, Russia could make even more gains, forcing Ukraine into greater concessions. Mr Zelenskyy has handled the problem deftly, warning on Monday that concessions to Russia would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine. 'Russia is dragging out the war, and therefore it deserves stronger global pressure,' he wrote on X. 'Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position – it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer.'
The issue has proven one of the key obstacles in finding lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. Critics, largely in Europe, warn that such appeasement would set a dangerous precedent to belligerent actors around the world - and could encourage Russia to reopen the conflict later on. Mr Zelenskyy has already warned the U.S. against trusting Mr Putin, citing numerous examples of Russia breaking ceasefires in the past. As such, Ukraine will also be looking to safeguard against future invasion with a route towards joining NATO or the EU. Ahead of Friday's meeting, the EU rallied to throw its diplomatic weight behind Ukraine. 'The U.S. has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday. 'Any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security.'
EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss next steps, she said. France's Emmanuel Macron also said 'Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution because their security depends on it.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke with Mr Trump on Sunday, Mr Merz's spokesman said on Monday, but did not disclose the contents of the talks. Spokesman Steffen Meyer reiterated that the German government 'has always emphasised that borders must not be shifted by force' and that Ukraine should decide its own fate 'independently and autonomously'.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House is still working to bring all three leaders together, Mr Trump, Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy, but said it is up to the U.S. president to decide when and who to include. Concerns were raised after Moscow laid out its prerequisite demands to any peace deal. Ukraine must pull its forces out of regions and commit to becoming a neutral state while shunning military support from the EU and the US, according to Russia. Mr Putin has also asked Ukraine to abandon any plans of joining NATO.
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