European leaders have expressed cautious optimism after a virtual meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, just two days before his scheduled talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump told the European leaders his goal for the summit was to secure a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. He reportedly agreed that any territorial questions must involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that security guarantees would have to form part of any deal. Macron said the call had allowed him to “clarify his intentions” while giving the Europeans an opportunity to “express our expectations.”
Trump, joined by Vice-President JD Vance, spoke with leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland, along with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet Zelensky in London on Thursday, ahead of the Trump-Putin summit.
The Europeans, sidelined from the hastily arranged Alaska meeting, used the call to stress Ukraine’s interests and Europe’s security concerns. Trump later described the meeting as “a 10” and warned that Russia would face “very severe” consequences if it did not halt the war. He also suggested that, if Friday’s talks were productive, he would push for a second meeting involving both Putin and Zelensky.
Despite the reassurances, European leaders repeated their insistence that Kyiv be directly involved in any final decision, reflecting underlying concern that Trump might concede Ukrainian territory for a ceasefire. “It’s most important that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can’t trust Russia,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that if Russia refused concessions, “then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure.”
Fears have grown after Trump recently floated the idea of “land-swapping” between Kyiv and Moscow, raising concerns he could yield to Putin’s demand for large portions of Ukrainian territory. Russia’s Foreign Ministry reiterated on Wednesday that its position, first set out by Putin in June 2024, remained unchanged: Kyiv must withdraw from the four partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and abandon its NATO membership bid, in exchange for a ceasefire.
Zelensky has rejected those terms, warning that any territory left in Russian hands would be used as a base for future invasions. Security guarantees, discussed in Wednesday’s call, are being considered as a way to protect Ukraine’s long-term defence. Sir Keir described “real progress” on this front and commended Trump’s efforts, saying, “Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in.”
Since spring, the UK and France have led a “Coalition of the Willing” committed to deterring further Russian aggression. The group reiterated on Wednesday its readiness to deploy a “reassurance force” once hostilities cease, though details remain undecided.
Meanwhile, Russia’s summer offensive is ongoing, with troops making gains near Dobropillya in Donetsk. Zelensky accused Putin of bluffing about sanctions’ impact and urged allies to “apply more pressure.” Trump acknowledged the difficulty of halting Russian attacks on civilians, saying, “I’ve had that conversation with him… but then I go home and see that a rocket has hit a nursing home or an apartment building… So I guess the answer to that is probably no.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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