Ukraine and Europe Project United Front Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,' read a statement released early Sunday by seven European leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was quick to endorse their statement, writing hours later on social media that he was 'grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations.'
The coordinated statements came after Mr. Zelensky engaged on Saturday in a series of calls with European leaders. That same day, two senior Ukrainian officials and their European counterparts met with top American officials outside London to try to gauge Moscow's negotiating position and to press Ukraine's case ahead of the Trump-Putin summit on Friday in Alaska.
The calls and the meeting near London made clear that Kyiv was once again trying to rally its European allies as Washington pushes to independently negotiate an end to the war with Russia, raising concerns that the Trump administration will make concessions to Moscow that Kyiv cannot accept. Ukraine is also determined not to let Russia set the terms and structure of future peace talks.
In their statement, the European leaders said that 'meaningful negotiations can only take place' after a cease-fire or a reduction in hostilities has been put in effect — a position long held by Ukraine but that Russia has consistently rejected.
The European leaders also said that they 'remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force' and that the current front line 'should be the starting point of negotiations.' That language amounted to an implicit rejection of Mr. Trump's recent suggestion that a cease-fire deal could include some 'swapping of territories.'
The Trump-Putin summit was announced after Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president's envoy, met with the Russian leader last week in Moscow. After the meeting, Mr. Trump briefed European leaders and described a proposal by Mr. Putin that two senior European officials said involved giving Russia the entire Donbas region of Ukraine, an area his forces do not entirely control.
Mr. Zelensky warned on Saturday that he would not accept any deal requiring Ukraine to hand over territory that Russia does not currently occupy.
'Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,' Mr. Zelensky warned on Saturday. 'They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.'
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