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Europe tells Trump Russia must understand Ukraine will not give up territory as leaders voice concern over possible deal with Putin

Europe tells Trump Russia must understand Ukraine will not give up territory as leaders voice concern over possible deal with Putin

Daily Mail​8 hours ago
Ahead of Donald Trump 's meeting with Vladimir Putin, European leaders have warned that Ukraine will not give up territory in a deal with Russia.
Raising concerns over a deal with Putin, they have also insisted that Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers will hold emergency talks by video link to chart their next steps ahead of a planned meeting 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 insisted: ' The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.'
In the lead-up to the highly anticipated meeting, several leaders have shared their expectations.
Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, echoed the view of his EU counterparts and added that Trump must consult with European leaders before the summit.
However, on the issue of territory, Trump has said: '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.'
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has also been resolute in his insistence that Russia will not get any of Ukraine's land.
He said: 'The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question already is in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will deviate from this - and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.'
France's Emmanuel Macron also said 'Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution because their security depends on it.'
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House is working to bring all three leaders together, Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy, but said it is up to Trump to decide when and who to include.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said that Trump 'had the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously.'
Concerns were raised after Moscow laid out demands as a prerequisite 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.
Putin has also asked Ukraine to abandon any plans of joining NATO.
Ukraine, however, has made clear that it won't give up its sovereignty, but has conceded that any attempts to retrieve captured land from Russia must be done diplomatically.
Russia's presidential aide Yri Ushakov said the Kremlin understands that the talks will 'not be simple'.
He said: 'We expect this process will not be simple, but we will be engaged in it actively and consistently.'
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