Next Ramstein summit to take place on June 4 in Brussels
The Ramstein summit will take place as Washington is trying to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia to end Moscow's full-scale war.
In the meantime, Russia is amassing forces for a new offensive against Ukraine while continuing its attacks on civilians across the country, straining Ukrainian air defenses.
The last Ramstein-format UDCG meeting took place in Brussels on April 11 under the chairmanship of London and Berlin — a position previously held by the U.S.
Leadership over Ramstein transitioned following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
During the previous meeting, NATO allies committed more than 21 billion euros ($23.8 billion) in long-term military aid to Ukraine.
The move came amid growing uncertainty over U.S. support for Ukraine and efforts by European allies to close the gap as Kyiv resists Russia's ongoing war.
Read also: Russia amassed enough troops to attack Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns
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The Hill
a few seconds ago
- The Hill
Putin's Ukraine land pitch sparks firm European response ahead of Trump summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin's reported proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which would require Kyiv to cede regions in the east, sparked a firm response from European leaders on Saturday ahead of President Trump's summit with the Kremlin leader in Alaska next week. The seven European leaders welcomed Trump's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire as part of an effort to permanently end the nearly three-and-a-half-year war in Eastern Europe, but argued that 'only' an approach that mixes support for Ukraine, 'active' diplomacy and additional pressure on Moscow can lead to peace on the front lines. 'We stand ready to support this work diplomatically as well as by upholding our substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, including through the work of the Coalition of the Willing, and by upholding and imposing restrictive measures against the Russian Federation,' the European officials said in a lengthy, joint statement on Saturday, adding that a resolution 'must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.' The statement was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Putin presented a ceasefire proposal to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during their Wednesday meeting in Moscow, their fifth gathering this year. While not all the details are clear, the Russian leader reportedly suggested that Ukraine withdraw its armed forces from the Donetsk region, along with Luhansk, to place both sides on a path to a ceasefire. In that case, Russia would fully control Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014. Trump signaled Friday at the White House that he is open to land swaps as part of a potential peace deal. Hours later, the president revealed that he would be meeting with Putin next Friday. 'We're going to get some back, and we're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,' the president told reporters when asked about negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea of Ukraine cede large chunks of it's land as part of the talks, saying Saturday morning that 'of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done.' 'The Ukrainian people deserve peace,' he said, emphasizing that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier.' European leaders reiterated their calls for Ukraine to have 'credible' security guarantees as part of the peace talks to 'defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,' the leaders said on Saturday. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.' The group also emphasized their commitment to the notion that 'international borders must not be changed by force' and that the 'current line of contact should be the starting point' of the peace talks. Vice President Vance, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukraine representatives and European allies met in Kent, England to discuss Trump's efforts to forge peace in Eastern Europe on Saturday. Zelensky's top adviser, Andriy Yermak, who attended the meeting, along with Ukraine's Secretary of National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, said the current front lines should not be considered borders if the eventual peace deal is reached. 'Our positions were clear: a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table, with full respect for our sovereignty and without recognizing the occupation. A ceasefire is necessary — but the front line is not a border,' Yermak said on social media. 'Our partners support us not only in words — assistance will continue in the military, financial, and sanctions spheres until the aggression stops,' he added, thanking Vance for 'respecting all points of view, and for his efforts toward a reliable peace.' In response to Putin's ceasefire outline this week, European leaders offered a counterproposal, one brought up during the meetings in England, which reportedly stated that a ceasefire must take place before any other concessions advance and that territorial swaps must be reciprocal — meaning if Ukraine pulls out of some territories, Russia's military must do the same. A U.S. official told NewsNation that meetings in Kent yielded 'significant progress' toward Trump's goal of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, the White House is considering inviting Zelensky to the summit in Alaska. The administration signaled it is open to host a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky, but noted that it is still planning a bilateral meeting between just the president and Kremlin leader. European leaders, in their Saturday statement, said they will continue to cooperate 'closely' with Trump, the U.S. and Zelensky to achieve a peace deal in Ukraine.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump open to Alaska summit with Putin and Zelenskiy, White House says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump is open to holding a trilateral summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a White House official said on Saturday. However, the White House is currently planning a bilateral meeting with Putin at his request, the official added.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump, Putin agree to meet in Alaska; Zelensky might, too
Aug. 9 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet Friday in Alaska and might invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join them. It will be the first in-person meeting between Trump and Putin since the G20 summit in Japan in 2019 during Trump's first term. Zelensky initially was not invited, a source told The Washington Post, but Trump is considering inviting him, NBC News and The Hill reported on Saturday. Putin on Thursday said he opposed meeting with Zelensky, saying "for this to happen, certain conditions must be created. Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions." Trump announced the meeting on Friday night on Truth Social. "The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump posted. The presidents also considered meeting in the United Arab Emirates and Rome. Because the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court, it does not have to abide by a warrant issued in 2023 for Putin's arrest on allegations he was involved in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the war. Had the meeting been held in Rome, there were concerns officials would attempt to arrest Putin. On chances for a deal, Trump told reporters this week that he thinks "we have a shot at" achieving a deal and refused to call the meeting a last chance. "I don't like using the term 'last chance," he said. Trump has floated the idea that a peace deal with Ukraine may require the European nation to give up territory -- something Zelensky and many European leaders oppose. "You're looking at territory that's been fought over for 3½ years with -- you know, a lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians have died," Trump said. "There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both." Ukraine currently controls around 4 square miles of Russian land in the western Kursk region, while Russia has one-fifth of Ukraine's sovereign territory -- including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerhodar, which is the largest generating station in Europe. Ukraine had also seized around 500 square miles in August 2024 but later retreated. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and four other regions in eastern Ukraine -- Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- and Putin has proposed Crimea be formally recognized as Russian sovereign territory. "We're looking at that, but we're actually looking to get some back and some swapping. It's complicated. It's actually nothing easy, [and] it's very complicated. But we're going to get some back, and we're going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both," Trump told reporters when asked if Ukraine will need to give up territory in a peace deal. Trump also said that the self-imposed deadline for Putin to agree to a cease-fire or face "secondary sanctions" against nations that buy oil from Russia would "be up to him. We're going to see what he has to say -- it's up to him." On Wednesday, he signed an executive order that doubled the tariff against India to 50% over the Asian nation's imports of Russian oil. The order followed a 50-day ultimatum Trump gave to Putin to reach a truce with Ukraine, and later moved the deadline up to 10 days. After a three-hour meeting with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin told Witkoff that he would agree to a cease-fire if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas region. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Putin for the first time provided "concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war." On Saturday, Zelensky reiterated his opposition to giving up land. "Ukrainians are defending their own. Even those who are with Russia know that it is doing evil. Of course, we will not give Russia awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace. But all partners must understand what a worthy peace is. This war must be ended, and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, not listening to any deadlines, and this is the problem, not something else," he said in Ukrainian in a video posted on Instagram. He also "Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything," Zelensky added in a post on X. Zelensky also said he spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday and he was "grateful for his support." He said they both see the danger of "Russia's plan to reduce everything to a discussion of the impossible." The meeting between Trump and Putin was confirmed by Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin official. "The economic interests of our countries intersect in Alaska and the Arctic, and there are prospects for implementing large-scale, mutually beneficial projects," he told reporters, according to state-run TASS. "But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis." Saturday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend a summit of national security advisers in Britain that includes Ukraine and other European allies. Solve the daily Crossword
