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Ahead of Putin meeting, Trump to hold virtual talks with European leaders; Zelenskyy likely to join
President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on Friday. AP
In a last-ditch effort to outline their positions ahead of the Alaska summit, European leaders will on Wednesday hold virtual talks with President Donald Trump to press him to not cut any deal with Vladimir Putin unilaterally. They will also discuss issues like territorial control and security guarantees.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has convened virtual meetings to be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his European allies, and Trump.
First, European leaders will hold a meeting amongst themselves and then they will get on the call with Trump, according to Financial Times.
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The European leaders part of these meetings will include Merz, Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Georgia Meloni, Polish PM Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Nato chief Mark Rutte, and European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen. US Vice President JD Vance will also join the call beside Trump.
Trump will meet Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska. The Russian war on Ukraine is expected to be on the top of their agenda.
ALSO READ: With Russia's terms to Ukraine, Putin seeks surrender — not a peace deal
European leaders are concerned that Trump, who has long had friendly ties with Putin, could unilaterally cut a deal about Ukraine with the Russian leader. They are also concerned that the Russian leader could convince him to pressure Ukraine to cede territory in exchange of any ceasefire — just like he convinced Trump in 2018 in the Helsinki summit that there was no Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
What's Europe's agenda with Trump call?
In the call with Trump, European leaders will likely stress that any discussions of terms for ending the Russian war in Ukraine must start with a full ceasefire and any deal must be approved by Europe and just be finalised between the United States and Russia, according to The New York Times.
For days, European leaders, including Zelenskyy, have been rejecting any US-Russia deal and the idea of ceding Ukrainian territory in exchange of a weak ceasefire deal. Zelenskyy has said that any deal without Ukraine's approval will be as good as dead. Merz has said that 'Putin only acts under pressure' and has indicated he could press Trump for punitive measures on Russia for continued rejection of peace efforts.
Nato chief Rutte has said that any recognition of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory will have to be de-facto (practical recognition) and not de jure (actual political, legal recognition). British PM Starmer has warned that 'any ceasefire cannot be an opportunity for President Putin to go away and re-arm'.
European leaders are concerned that Putin could use the Alaska meeting to convince Trump on a deal that Zelensky would never accept, such as ceding Ukrainian territory and recognising its Russian annexation, leading Trump to turn his ire on Ukraine and its leader, according to The Times.
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