European leaders urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday not to attack Ukraine unilaterally A peace agreement with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a one-on-one meeting in Alaska later this week.
German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz has convened a virtual summit with Trump, Ukrainian President Voorazia’s Voldimi Zelensky and European leaders as former KGB spy threatens to try and get back the round to see the war on his terms.
After the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump wanted Washington to obtain a ceasefire and that Ukraine’s territorial issues could not be negotiated without Zelensky.
Called “very good,” Trump told reporters that if the summit with Putin works out, a follow-up meeting with the Russian president and Zelensky could happen “almost immediately” afterwards.
“It’s very likely that we’ll have a second meeting that’s more productive than the first one, because we’re going to know where we’re and what we’re doing,” Trump said when he appeared at the Kennedy Center.
Two European diplomats familiar with virtual meetings appeared to tell CNN that Trump would push for an unconditional ceasefire in his meeting with Putin.
Trump believes the ceasefire is a show of goodwill from Russia and said Ukrainian territory wasn’t for him to negotiate, sources said.
Leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, NATO and the European Union took part in a virtual meeting with Trump. It was followed by another large meeting of the “Wishing Union” attended by US Vice President J.D. Vance.
Following the meeting, Zelensky said the leader agreed to “five common principles” and to lay out the “form of negotiations” to be held in Alaska, including focusing on ceasefires and “truly trustworthy” security assurances.
“Everything about Ukraine should be discussed only with Ukraine. We need to prepare a trilateral format for the lecture. We need a ceasefire. In other words, it’s number one.”
He added: “We need security guarantees. It’s truly reliable. Today, President Trump spoke about his support for this and how he prepares for America to participate.”
“Russia cannot have a veto power over Ukraine’s Europe and NATO outlook,” he said. “Peace negotiations must be combined with appropriate pressure on Russia.”
Zelensky also called for Russia to tighten sanctions if the ceasefire agreement is not reached on Friday.
“It has made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table at the next meeting,” Mertz said at a press conference following the virtual meeting. He added: “We want things to go into the correct sequence. We want a ceasefire at first, then we need to create a framework agreement.”
Zelensky said he expressed his support for Europe’s demands for the first ceasefire before Trump reached a full settlement, saying that if Putin leaves Alaska without agreeing to the ceasefire, he should slap Russia with new sanctions.
Trump was frankly saying “a land exchange will take place” on Monday, but Mertz emphasized that legal perception of Ukrainian territory is “uncontroversial.”
At a Moscow meeting with Witkov last week, Putin proposed a plan to demand Ukraine to give in to the eastern Donbas region in exchange for a ceasefire, according to US officials. The exact details of the plan have been covered in confusion since it was first reported.
Last week, Trump gave Putin either agreeing to a ceasefire at the August 8 deadline or facing new sanctions punishment on the “Shadow Fleet.” After the deadline ended, Trump announced the summit with Putin this Friday.
Putin has been trying to mess with the effects of sanctions for a long time. However, Zelensky said on Wednesday that Russian leaders were bluffing. “Sansions are stricken at Russia’s war economy,” he said after a call with Trump. “Putin can’t fool anyone.”
European officials familiar with the call said they were given the impression that if the upcoming Alaska stories proved fruitless, they were the “threat” of secondary sanctions against Russia.
“It is clear that Indian sanctions were effective,” the official said, referring to Trump’s pledge to issue an additional 25% tariff on India to buy Russian oil. The tariffs are expected to come into effect in the coming weeks.
“President Putin can’t fool anyone”: Zelensky says Putin is bluffing about the effects of sanctions
Alexander Gabwev, director of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Centre, told CNN that Zelensky is urging Trump to use a “stick” that wields Russia.
“The key issue is the sticks that President Trump is said to have. This could be either more economic sanctions (Russia) or more military support for Ukraine,” Gabwev said. “Therefore, President Zelensky wants to be optimistic that the Russian economy is falling apart.”
But Ukraine is facing its own pressure, he said. This week, a small group of Russian military forces drilled a hole in the alerts of Ukrainian officials and military bloggers, some of Ukraine’s increasingly porous frontlines in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. If Russia’s economy creaks, then so does Ukraine’s front line, Gabwev said.
“The timeline here is really important,” he added. “Putin is sure there will be another 12-18 months and Ukraine doesn’t have it.”
