Europe races to try to influence US position ahead of Trump-Putin talks
BRUSSELS: European leaders and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to US President Donald Trump this week ahead of his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, amid fears Washington may dictate unfavorable peace terms to Ukraine. Trump announced last week he would meet Putin on Friday in Alaska to negotiate an end to the 3-1/2-year war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Ukraine and its European allies fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and also hoping to seal lucrative joint business deals with Moscow, could align with Putin to cut a deal that would be deeply disadvantageous to Kyiv. Germany said it was convening a series of top-level video conferences on Wednesday to prepare for the summit including one at 1500 CET (1300 GMT) between European leaders, Zelensky, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.
It will be the first time Zelensky and Trump have spoken since the Alaska summit was announced. European leaders and EU and NATO officials would coordinate their approach beforehand, a German government spokesperson said. Zelensky said on Monday that concessions to Moscow would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine and that there was a need to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.
'Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits,' Zelensky wrote on X. He later held separate phone calls with the leaders of India and Saudi Arabia - which both have cordial ties with Moscow - in an effort to bolster international support for Kyiv's position ahead of the Trump-Putin talks.
European Union foreign ministers discussed their support for Kyiv and the upcoming meeting in a video conference on Monday afternoon. 'Transatlantic unity, support to Ukraine and pressure on Russia is how we will end this war and prevent future Russian aggression in Europe,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X following the discussion on Ukraine.
'EU Foreign Ministers today expressed support for US steps that will lead to a just peace,' Kallas wrote. 'Meanwhile, we work on more sanctions against Russia, more military support for Ukraine and more support for Ukraine's budgetary needs and accession process to join the EU,' she added.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told his counterparts on the call that 'we support President Trump's efforts and we see some progress,' according to Italian officials. 'Any diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its freedom to choose its own future, including its path toward the EU,' Tajani said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said London supported Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine but believed Kyiv must be involved in any settlement on ending the fighting.
'We will never trust President Putin as far as you can throw him, but we will support Ukraine and President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations,' Starmer's spokesperson told reporters. 'Any peace must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it, and we will not reward aggression or compromise sovereignty.'
The Alaska meeting comes as Trump has hardened his stance towards Moscow, agreeing to allow additional US weapons to reach Ukraine and threatening tariffs against buyers of Russian oil.
Even so, the prospect of Trump hosting Putin - on US soil, in what will be the first meeting between leaders of the United States and Russia since 2021 - has revived fears that he might agree to a deal that forces big concessions from Kyiv or weakens European security. Trump has said any peace deal would involve 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both' Russia and Ukraine, prompting consternation in Kyiv and European capitals.
'Regarding territorial issues, the Russian position is framed as a territorial swap, but it appears as a rather one-sided swap,' a European Commission official said on Sunday.
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine holds barely any Russian territory. European leaders have underscored their commitment to the idea that international borders cannot be changed by force, fearing any deal forced on Kyiv could create a dangerous precedent. 'The most robust security guarantee would be that there are no limitations on Ukrainian armed forces and third countries' support to Ukraine,' the Commission official said. — Reuters
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