European leaders make last-ditch appeal to Trump ahead of Alaska summit

The National

a day ago

Leaders in Europe want to get a deal done on Ukraine, the US President Donald Trump has said ahead of a call with several of them on Wednesday.
European leaders are eager to show a united front to help avoid a bad outcome for Ukraine from a meeting between Mr Trump and the Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.
"They are great leaders who want to see a deal done," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Germany, which is hosting a virtual call meeting between Mr Trump and European leaders, also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the call.
It comes two days before a Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska on Friday - the first US-Russia summit since 2021.
"Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a just peace. Ukraine's and our partners' experience must be used to prevent deception by Russia," Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X.
The Ukrainian president, who has has been sidelined from the Friday meeting, met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before a video conference with the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte was also scheduled to attend.
Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance were due to join the call mid-afternoon. Later, wider partners in the region were to be updated by Germany, France and the UK on the day's discussions in a format known as the "coalition of the willing."
The coalition of the willing is an international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace, led by the London, Paris and Berlin. It is made up of 31 countries that have pledged strengthened support for Kyiv, including 27 European countries, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Mr Trump has said the Alaska talks will be a "feel-out" meeting as he pursues a ceasefire in Moscow's war on Ukraine, having said last week, to consternation in Kyiv and Europe, that any deal would involve "some swapping of territories". It remains unclear what Mr Putin might be expected to surrender.
The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Mr Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia's energy might to try to intimidate the EU, might secure favourable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.
European countries' overarching fear is that Mr Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine.
"Most European leaders recognise the summit's high stakes and risks—hence this week's diplomatic flurry, including today's pre-summit virtual meeting between EU leaders, Trump, and Zelenskyy," said Jana Kobzova, senior policy fellow at the ECFR think-tank.
"Europe's future hinges on whether Ukraine becomes stable and prosperous (even without full territorial control) or remains a weak, unstable state vulnerable to Russian attacks."
Ahead of Wednesday's call, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof and agreed 'there should be no decisions about the future of Ukraine without Ukraine."
"They discussed their sustained support for Ukraine and the ongoing work to end Russia's barbaric war," a UK government spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Mr Vance, who is on holiday in the UK, is set to meet US troops stationed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.