European leaders rally behind Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
Trump said next Friday's meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year. In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing on Sunday (Monday AEST): 'The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.'
Saturday's statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the US president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include 'some swapping of territories.' That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren't allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance met on Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary's weekend residence to discuss how to end the war. Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.
The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbour and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there's no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.
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