European allies have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, insisting that any peace talks with Russia must include Kyiv.
In a joint statement, leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission made the position clear ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
The White House has indicated Trump is open to a trilateral meeting including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but for now it remains a Trump–Putin summit, as requested by Moscow. Zelensky has warned that any deal struck without Ukraine would be “dead decisions”.
Trump has suggested possible “territory swaps” to reach an agreement — a proposal Zelensky firmly rejected. Reports by US media suggest Washington is pushing for a deal allowing Russia to keep Crimea and take full control of the Donbas region, a move European leaders oppose, saying “international borders must not be changed by force”.
The Alaska summit would be the first meeting between US and Russian presidents since June 2021. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nine months later and continues to occupy large parts of the country’s east.
