European leaders on Saturday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, while underscoring the need to maintain pressure on Moscow and safeguard both Ukrainian and European security interests.
Trump is scheduled to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, saying the parties — including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — are “close to a deal” that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict. While the U.S. president remains open to a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelenskiy, White House officials said the upcoming meeting will be bilateral at Putin’s request. Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials immediately commented on the possibility of a three-way meeting.
Though Trump has not disclosed full details of the proposed settlement, he said it could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” raising concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that Ukraine could be asked to surrender significant territory — a move critics say would embolden Russian aggression.
Diplomatic Coordination in London
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian officials, and European representatives at Chevening House in southeast England to discuss the U.S. peace initiative. A joint statement from the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, Finland, and the European Commission welcomed Trump’s efforts but stressed that any diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and Europe’s security.
“We agree that these vital interests include robust and credible security guarantees enabling Ukraine to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement read. “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
The leaders reaffirmed that international borders cannot be changed by force and said the current line of contact should serve as the starting point for negotiations — but only in the context of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities.
Kyiv’s Position: ‘The Front Line Is Not a Border’
Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who participated in the talks, reiterated Ukraine’s rejection of territorial concessions.
“A ceasefire is necessary — but the front line is not a border,” Yermak wrote on X, thanking Vance for “respecting all points of view” and seeking a “reliable peace.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, European negotiators presented a counterproposal requiring a ceasefire before any further steps and mandating reciprocal territorial exchanges alongside binding security guarantees. “You can’t start a process by ceding territory in the middle of fighting,” one European negotiator was quoted as saying.
A U.S. official described the discussions as making “significant progress” toward Trump’s goal of ending the war ahead of his meeting with Putin.
Ongoing Coordination
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron later spoke, pledging “unwavering support” for Zelenskiy and a commitment to a “just and lasting peace.” Macron emphasised that Ukraine must be directly involved in any talks, saying:
“Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now.”
Zelenskiy, in his evening address, described the Chevening meeting as constructive, stressing that “the path to peace for Ukraine should be determined together, and only together with Ukraine.”
Battlefield Reality
The war, now in its fourth year, remains intense. Russian forces hold about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, but do not control all the areas they claim. Fighting rages along a 1,000-kilometre front in eastern and southern Ukraine, with Russian troops making incremental gains but failing to achieve a decisive breakthrough.
In Kyiv’s central square, where hundreds of flags commemorate fallen soldiers, 51-year-old Olesia Petritska voiced a common sentiment:
“Not a single serviceman will agree to cede territory, to pull out troops from Ukrainian territories.”
While analysts note that the current peace push is the most serious attempt yet to halt the conflict, many remain sceptical about its implementation, warning that any territorial concessions could prove devastating for Ukraine.
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