EU leaders to hold ‘coalition of willing' call tomorrow ahead of Zelenskyy–Trump Ukraine peace talks
Britain, France and Germany are set to hold urgent talks with allies after Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska ended without a ceasefire. Putin demanded Ukraine hand over Donetsk in return for freezing advances elsewhere, while Trump urged leaders to pursue a peace agreement rather than a temporary truce. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due in Washington to meet Trump, as European leaders push to keep sanctions on Russia and safeguard Ukraine's path to Nato and the EU.
Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron walks alongside Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, after an online meeting with other European leaders where they discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, 13 August 2025. PHILIPPE MAGONI/Pool via Reuters Britain, France and Germany will convene a video call on Sunday with Ukraine's allies to discuss the war and possible steps towards peace, according to the French presidency. The 'coalition of the willing' call will be led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It comes a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected in Washington for talks following the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.Trump disclosed that he held late-night calls with several European leaders, Nato's secretary general and Zelenskyy after his meeting with Putin. He said: 'The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.'
European officials had criticised Trump for leaving Zelenskyy out of the Alaska talks, but they later backed the idea of a direct three-way summit between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy, given the failure to secure even a temporary truce.As reported by the Financial Times, according to four people with direct knowledge of the Alaska meeting, Putin told Trump he would only move towards ending the war if Ukraine withdrew from the eastern Donetsk region. In exchange, he offered to freeze the frontline in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces occupy significant territory, and not launch new offensives to take more land.This demand would hand Moscow full control of Donetsk, much of which it already occupies and where its troops are advancing at the fastest pace since November. Russia currently controls about 70 per cent of the region, though Ukraine still holds key western cities that anchor its defences.
Putin also repeated his core demands to 'resolve the root causes' of the conflict, which would mean limiting Ukraine's sovereignty and reversing Nato's eastward expansion. A former senior Kremlin official said the Russian president might compromise on territory if these broader demands were met.People familiar with Zelenskyy's thinking said he would not agree to surrender Donetsk, but that he remained open to discussing territory with Trump in Washington and possibly in a three-way meeting with Putin.Trump echoed this approach in a social media post on Saturday, writing: 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.' He added: 'If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.'The Kremlin later said Putin and Trump did not discuss a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy in Anchorage, and did not comment on the Donetsk proposal.Despite Trump's calls for a peace deal, European leaders made clear they would not ease pressure on Moscow. Macron, Merz, Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement saying: 'We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace.'They underlined that Russia has no right to decide Ukraine's future in the European Union or Nato.The Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin lasted three hours but failed to deliver a ceasefire. Instead, it gave Putin a platform to re-enter international diplomacy despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court over war crimes linked to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.European leaders had been alarmed before the meeting when Trump floated land swaps as part of a potential deal. They were reassured when he promised to press Putin for a halt to hostilities and threatened 'severe consequences' if Russia refused. The promise, however, did not materialise. Trump welcomed Putin with a red carpet in Anchorage and was seen joking with him before the talks.Zelenskyy will arrive in Washington on Monday to meet Trump. European leaders have been invited to join, according to officials cited by the New York Times. The White House described the Alaska summit as making 'great progress' but admitted no agreement had been reached.For now, Putin's demand over Donetsk, Trump's push for a direct peace deal, and Europe's insistence on sanctions set the stage for tense negotiations in Washington.
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