European leaders have warned that Ukraine will not give up territory in a deal with Russia ahead of Donald Trump‘s historic meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Raising concerns over ceasefire proposals that could appease Russia’s demand for territory, they have also insisted that Ukraine must be involved in any peace talks.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers are set to hold emergency talks by video link to chart their next steps ahead of anticipated talks between US President Trump and Putin, due on Friday in Alaska.
In a joint statement over the weekend, European powers, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, alongside EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, released a statement urging Trump to ensure that Ukraine was at the negotiating table.
They said : ‘The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.’
In the lead-up to the meeting, several leaders have shared their expectations. Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, insisted added that Mr Trump must consult with European leaders before the summit.
Mr Trump proposed three-way talks with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts last week, but was shot down by Mr Putin who said the ‘conditions’ for his first meeting with Mr Zelenskyy since 2019 had not been met.
Mr Putin will go into talks with the upper hand if Mr Zelenskyy is not present to argue Ukraine’s case, as Russian forces continue to push into Ukraine.
While Ukraine’s war-weary population overwhelmingly wants an end to the conflict, the embattled nation is loathe to give up occupied land and Mr Zelenskyy maintains Ukraine will not – and constitutionally cannot – cede territory.
On the issue of land, Mr Trump has said: ‘We are looking to actually get some back and some swapping. It is complicated, actually nothing easy. We are going to get some back, some switched.’
Ahead of Donald Trump ‘s meeting with Vladimir Putin , European leaders have warned that Ukraine will not give up territory in a deal with Russia
EU leaders released a statement urging Trump to ensure that Ukraine was at the negotiating table
Russia’s leader Putin and US president Donald Trump are set to meet in a highly-anticipated summit for talks about ending the war in Ukraine
Mr Zelenskyy said on Monday that concessions to Russia would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine and that there was need to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.
‘Russia is dragging out the war, and therefore it deserves stronger global pressure,’ he wrote on X.
‘Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits.
‘And this is not just a moral position – it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer.’
The issue has proven one of the key obstacles in finding lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Critics, largely in Europe, warn that such appeasement would set a dangerous precedent to belligerent actors around the world – and could encourage Russia to reopen the conflict later on.
Mr Zelenskyy has already warned the U.S. against trusting Mr Putin, citing numerous examples of Russia breaking ceasefires in the past.
As such, Ukraine will also be looking to safeguard against future invasion with a route towards joining NATO or the EU.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting, the EU rallied to throw its diplomatic weight behind Ukraine.
‘The U.S. has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,’ EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday.
‘Any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security.’
EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss next steps, she said.
France’s Emmanuel Macron also said ‘Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution because their security depends on it.’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke with Mr Trump on Sunday, Mr Merz’s spokesman said on Monday, but did not disclose the contents of the talks.
Spokesman Steffen Meyer reiterated that the German government ‘has always emphasised that borders must not be shifted by force’ and that Ukraine should decide its own fate ‘independently and autonomously’.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House is still working to bring all three leaders together, Mr Trump, Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy, but said it is up to the U.S. president to decide when and who to include.
Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine will not give up any of its land in the peace talks
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said that Trump ‘had the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously
Concerns were raised after Moscow laid out its prerequisite demands to any peace deal.
Ukraine must pull its forces out of regions and commit to becoming a neutral state while shunning military support from the EU and the US, according to Russia.
Putin has also asked Ukraine to abandon any plans of joining NATO.
Putin believes he enjoys the advantage on the ground as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front.
But Ukraine has made clear that it won’t give up its sovereignty, while acknowledging that any attempts to retrieve captured land from Russia must be done diplomatically.
Russia’s presidential aide Yri Ushakov said the Kremlin understands that the talks will ‘not be simple’.
He said: ‘We expect this process will not be simple, but we will be engaged in it actively and consistently.’
Both sides continue to stick to their fundamental demands ahead of the summit in Alaska.
