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European allies have come together to support Ukraine, emphasising that any negotiations with Russia must involve Kyiv.
A joint declaration from the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission was released before US President Donald Trump’s scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
According to a White House official, Trump is open to arranging a trilateral meeting that would also involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but for the moment, it is primarily a Trump-Putin summit, as was originally requested by the Russian leader.
Zelensky has remarked that any agreements made without Kyiv’s involvement would be perceived as “dead decisions.”
Trump has previously indicated that he might begin the meeting only with Putin, noting to reporters his intent to “start off with Russia.” However, the US president has also expressed optimism about the potential for organising a trilateral discussion involving both Putin and Zelensky.
It remains uncertain whether Putin would consent to this; he has declined multiple chances for direct conversations, and the two leaders have not had a face-to-face meeting since Putin initiated the large-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.
The European leaders, in their statement issued late Saturday night, underscored that “international borders must not be altered through force.”
Kyiv said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield.
