European leaders urge Trump to include Ukraine in upcoming negotiations with Putin over the war

European leaders urge Trump to include Ukraine in upcoming negotiations with Putin over the war

Europe’s top officials have intensified calls for Donald Trump to involve Ukraine directly in an anticipated summit with Vladimir Putin, while Germany cautioned the White House against striking any arrangement “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians.” The coordinated push reflects mounting anxiety that any bilateral engagement between Washington and Moscow could sideline Kyiv and reshape European security without those most affected at the table.

Speaking ahead of a scheduled U.S.–Russia meeting on Friday in Alaska, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he both hoped and expected that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would take part. In remarks to broadcaster ARD, Merz said Berlin was working closely with Washington to secure Zelensky’s presence. He stressed that Berlin “cannot accept under any circumstances” that territorial questions between Russia and the United States be discussed or settled while excluding Europeans and Ukrainians, adding he presumed the U.S. administration shared that view.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the summit would be a test of Putin’s seriousness about “ending this terrible war.” He underscored that any discussion would necessarily include security guarantees and, crucially, the principle that Ukraine alone determines its future as a sovereign state with its own geopolitical choices. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat, announced an emergency meeting of EU ministers for Monday, reiterating that Kyiv’s agency must be central to any process.

Kallas said that Trump was right to insist Russia must halt its aggression against Ukraine and that Washington has leverage to bring Moscow to real negotiations. But, she added, any U.S.–Russia framework must involve Ukraine and the EU because the outcome affects Ukraine’s security and the stability of the entire continent. One day after meeting UK foreign secretary David Lammy during his break in England, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Washington was working to enable talks among Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump—though he questioned the usefulness of a direct Putin–Zelenskyy encounter before a conversation with Trump. He told Fox News that officials were trying to lock in a time and place for the three leaders to discuss ending the conflict.

Even as diplomacy gathered pace, fighting persisted. Ukrainian authorities reported five deaths from Russian airstrikes and drone attacks on Sunday, while Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone strike in the southern Saratov region killed one person. A day earlier, a Russian drone hit a minibus near Kherson, killing two and injuring 16, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. In the Zaporizhzhia region, two more civilians were killed when a drone struck their vehicle, the local governor said. Late Saturday, European leaders issued a joint statement asserting that the “path to peace” in Ukraine cannot be defined without Kyiv’s involvement. Welcoming Trump’s stated aim to end the war, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Finland—alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—stressed that negotiations should occur only alongside a ceasefire or a demonstrable reduction in hostilities.

The joint message added that only a strategy combining active diplomacy, sustained support for Ukraine, and pressure on Russia to halt its unlawful war stands a chance of success. On Sunday, Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their backing, writing on X that any end to the war must be just and that he appreciated all those standing with Ukraine and its people for a peace that safeguards Europe’s core security interests. He said Ukraine “values and fully supports” the statement by President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Tusk, Prime Minister Starmer, President von der Leyen, and President Stubb on achieving peace for Ukraine.

In a Telegram post on Saturday, Zelensky warned that any decision taken without Kyiv’s participation would be a “dead decision” that would “never work.” That same day at Chevening, the foreign secretary’s country residence in Kent, Lammy hosted Vance alongside Ukrainian and other European representatives to advance efforts toward a settlement. Should the Trump–Putin summit proceed, it would mark the first meeting between a U.S. president and the Russian leader since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin last met a U.S. president in June 2021, when he held talks with Joe Biden in Geneva.

Although no formal terms have been disclosed, Trump has suggested that ending the war could involve “some exchange of territories for the benefit of both,” implying Ukraine might be compelled to surrender parts of its land. Zelenskyy countered on Saturday that Ukrainians “will not give up their lands to the occupiers.” A European official confirmed that European representatives tabled a counterproposal at the Chevening talks, while declining to elaborate on its contents.

According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, the European counteroffer called for a ceasefire as a prerequisite to further steps and stipulated that any land swaps be reciprocal and paired with robust security guarantees. It remained unclear whether the Chevening discussions produced any concrete agreement, but Zelensky described the meeting as constructive, saying in his evening address that “all our arguments were heard.” He reiterated that the “path to peace” must be charted collectively and, above all, “jointly with Ukraine”—a principle he called fundamental.

Despite uncertainties, Merz voiced optimism that Friday’s summit could deliver tangible progress. He said Berlin hopes for a breakthrough that would establish a ceasefire and open the way to peace talks in Ukraine. European leaders, meanwhile, signaled they will continue to press Washington to ensure Kyiv and the EU are integral to any negotiating format, emphasizing that lasting security in Europe cannot be built on arrangements made without those most directly affected.

Concerns in European capitals extend beyond process to substance. Any framework that contemplates territorial concessions by Ukraine—without Kyiv’s consent—would contradict longstanding European positions and risk legitimizing aggression, officials say. For that reason, EU and NATO voices continue to highlight the need for credible guarantees that uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty, reinforce deterrence, and prevent a frozen conflict that could flare again.

The convergence of intensified diplomatic activity and ongoing battlefield violence underscores the stakes. European governments argue that excluding Ukraine from decisive talks would damage trust and likely produce an unworkable outcome. By insisting that Kyiv sits at the core of any negotiation, they aim to anchor the process in international law and in the practical reality that peace terms are only durable if the aggrieved party owns them.

As the Alaska meeting approaches, the broader transatlantic debate appears to revolve around two core principles: that Ukraine’s territorial integrity cannot be traded away in absentia, and that any negotiations must be paired with de-escalation on the ground. Whether these conditions can be reconciled with Washington’s evolving approach—and Moscow’s war aims—will determine whether the summit ushers in meaningful progress or simply reframes a conflict that continues to exact a heavy human cost.