Zelenskyy heads to Berlin for online meeting with Trump, European leaders
Europe's leaders are trying to drive home the perils of selling out Kyiv's interests at the first US-Russia summit since 2021.
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".
Zelenskyy will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before a video conference with the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union at 2 pm (1200 GMT), the hosts said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also attend.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance will join the call at 3 pm (1300 GMT).
EUROPE AND KYIV FEAR UNPREDICTABLE ALASKA DEAL
The unpredictability of the summit in Alaska has fuelled Europeans' fears that the US and Russia could take far-reaching decisions over their heads and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavourable deal.
"We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen - engaging with US partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side. Still a lot of time until Friday," said one senior official from Eastern Europe.
European leaders, wary of angering Trump, have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts while stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine - almost a fifth of which Russia has occupied - without Ukraine's participation.
Trump's administration tempered expectations on Tuesday for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling his meeting with Putin in Alaska a "listening exercise".
Trump's agreement last week to the summit with Putin was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow.
Half a dozen senior European officials told Reuters that they see a risk of a deal being struck that is unfavourable for Europe and Ukraine's security. They said European unity would be vital if that happened.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday the summit would be a "listening exercise" for Trump to hear what it would take to get to a deal.
After the meeting with Trump, the "coalition of the willing", a group of countries working on plans to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, will also convene online.
BATTLEFIELD PRESSURE MOUNTS ON UKRAINE
A Gallup poll released last week found that 69 per cent of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions.
Ahead of the calls, Zelenskyy said it would be impossible for Kyiv to agree to a deal that would require it to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a large swathe of which is already occupied by Russia.
That, he told reporters on Tuesday, would deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, easing the way for a Russian push deeper into Ukraine in the future.
He said territorial issues could only be discussed once a ceasefire was in place and Ukraine had received security guarantees.
Moscow's troops have recently ramped up pressure on the battlefield, tightening their stranglehold on the cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine.
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The expanded format signalled that the discussions would range beyond the immediate question of a ceasefire to cover broader U.S.–Russia relations, including the potential for renewed economic ties. Indeed, Putin later confirmed that economic cooperation had been a topic, framing the meeting as a 'starting point for resolution' rather than a decisive moment. The original schedule included a working lunch for the two leaders and their teams, but that was quietly scrapped as the talks dragged on without meaningful convergence on the central issue of ending hostilities in Ukraine. When the two leaders finally appeared before the press, they stuck to prepared remarks. Trump emphasized 'great progress' while conceding, 'We didn't get there.' Putin spoke of being 'sincerely interested' in ending the conflict but returned to a familiar refrain about the need to address the 'primary causes' of the war — Kremlin shorthand for dismantling Ukraine's sovereignty and NATO alignment. Neither leader entertained questions, a decision analysts interpreted as a sign of how little substance there was to share. 'The fact that they wouldn't take a single question tells you all you need to know about the outcome,' remarked former U.S. ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute. 'Putin walks away ending his international isolation. Trump walks away with zero.' Both sides sought to frame the meeting in positive terms. Trump described the summit as 'extremely productive' and hinted at another meeting 'very soon,' perhaps even in Moscow — an invitation Putin dangled during their public remarks. 'Next time in Moscow,' Putin suggested in English, prompting Trump to acknowledge it 'would get him a lot of heat' domestically. The Kremlin characterized the talks as 'business-like' and noted that both leaders agreed the war would not have started if Trump had remained in office after the 2020 U.S. election — a statement that dovetails neatly with Trump's own campaign narrative. Yet neither man could point to a concrete agreement. The absence of a ceasefire announcement, particularly after Trump had set public expectations so high, is likely to be seen as a setback to his image as a dealmaker. In Ukraine, the reaction was one of cautious relief. Analysts noted that no 'deal' had been announced that would cost Ukraine territory — but also expressed concern that the absence of progress could embolden Moscow. 'Ukrainians know all their key deals with Russia have been broken before,' said Vitaliy Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring's Russia editor in Anchorage. 'Even if one had been announced here, they would have been sceptical. But the uncertainty that remains is worrying. Deadlines have come and gone without consequences, and threats have not been carried out. That's an invitation for Putin to continue his attacks.' Putin's repeated invocation of the 'root causes' of the conflict only deepened Ukrainian fears that Moscow remains committed to its original war aims — namely, the dismantling of Ukraine as an independent state. Even before the summit, European capitals had been skeptical of the Anchorage meeting's prospects. Many feared Trump might be tempted to offer concessions to Russia in exchange for a headline-grabbing truce. Those fears were not realized — but neither was there any sign of momentum toward a durable peace. Former NATO envoy Lute was blunt in his assessment: 'We are no closer — in fact, we may be further away from a peace settlement in Ukraine than we were at the beginning of the day.' As Air Force One lifted off from Anchorage, Trump was already preparing to brief NATO allies and President Zelenskyy. According to White House sources, he intends to present the meeting as having opened a 'window' for further talks, even if no tangible results were achieved this time. Whether that will be enough to reassure allies — and voters back home — remains to be seen. On paper, the Anchorage summit was an opportunity for Trump to demonstrate his oft-touted skill as a 'peacemaker' and 'dealmaker.' Instead, it has become a case study in the limits of personal diplomacy when confronted with the hard edges of geopolitical conflict. For Putin, the meeting was a win of sorts: it projected him back onto the global stage alongside a U.S. president, breaking through the international isolation that has defined much of his tenure since the Ukraine invasion. The optics of a red-carpet welcome, a ride in Trump's car, and a joint appearance under a banner proclaiming 'pursuing peace' are victories in the realm of perception, even if the war grinds on unchanged. For Trump, the benefits are less clear. While he avoided the pitfall of offering concessions without reciprocity, he also left without the breakthrough he had promised — and without the triumphant headlines that might have boosted his domestic standing. By the time Putin's aircraft lifted off for the return flight to Russia, the verdict from most observers was that Anchorage had been more theatre than substance. Both men left the stage with smiles, but the subtext was unmistakable: the gulf between their positions on Ukraine remains vast, and neither appears willing to cross it. Whether the two leaders will indeed meet 'next time in Moscow' is uncertain. What is certain is that the war in Ukraine will continue, the casualty toll will rise, and the diplomatic clock will keep ticking without resolution. In the end, the Anchorage summit may be remembered less for what was achieved — which was negligible — than for what it revealed: the hard truth that no amount of personal rapport, political theatre, or optimistic rhetoric can bridge a chasm carved by war, ideology, and incompatible national interests. (IPA Service)
