Zelenskyy to speak with Trump in Berlin-led talks ahead of Putin summit in Alaska
The call, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and also involving vice president JD Vance, will follow earlier talks between Zelenskyy, Merz, and other European leaders, including the heads of the EU and NATO.
Later, a smaller group of Ukraine's key European military supporters will meet under the banner of the 'coalition of the willing' to coordinate positions.
The flurry of meetings comes just two days before Trump and Putin meet in Alaska for their first face-to-face talks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.
European leaders fear that without their direct involvement, Kyiv could be pressured into making painful concessions, including the loss of territory.
Trump has hinted that 'land swaps' could be part of a future settlement, an idea Ukraine and its allies firmly oppose.
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'Difficult' battles
Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected 'constructive conversations' with Putin.
'This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit,' Trump said at the White House, but he also added that eventually 'there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land'.
Russia, as a prerequisite to a peace settlement, has demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of several regions claimed by Moscow, commit to being a neutral state, shun US and EU military support and be excluded from joining NATO.
Ukraine has said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield.
Ukraine said Tuesday it was engaged in 'difficult' battles with Russian forces after Moscow had made rapid advances in a narrow but important section of the front line in the country's east.
Zelensky said on social media that 'we see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war.'
'On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations.'
Additional reporting from Andrew Walsh
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