Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to hold a conversation with U.S. President Trump prior to the Putin summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will join a call at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) as the looming U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska approaches. This summit has sparked concern in Europe and Kyiv, with fears of being excluded from the talks and the potential for forced Ukrainian territorial concessions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Berlin on Wednesday for a German-hosted virtual meeting with Trump and European leaders. The summit will include the leaders of Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland, and the European Union, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. However, the meeting was conducted bilaterally without Ukraine’s participation, raising concerns about the sidelining of Ukrainian interests.
Europe and Kyiv are particularly worried about the possibility of a deal that would involve "some swapping of territories," as suggested by Trump. Such a move could deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, as stated by Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian President has also stressed that territorial issues could only be discussed once a ceasefire was in place and Ukraine had received security guarantees.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the preconditions for a ceasefire and negotiations set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin had demanded that Ukraine withdraw from four regions Russia claims, and formally renounce NATO membership. This was seen as tantamount to surrender by Kyiv.
European leaders have echoed these concerns, stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. They fear that the U.S. and Russia could take far-reaching decisions over their heads and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavorable deal.
Almost a fifth of Ukraine has been occupied by Russia. The current conflict has left 14,000 people dead and displaced more than a million. 69% of Ukrainians favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, according to polls.
The concern is not just about the immediate outcome of the summit. Europe fears that this jeopardizes the long-term deterrence and defense framework in Eastern Europe. Russia continues its military pressure and sees negotiations mainly when defeat seems certain to Russia.
The reporting was done by Lili Bayer in Brussels, Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv, and Steve Holland in Washington. The article was written by Tom Balmforth and edited by Cynthia Osterman and Kevin Liffey.
[1] Balmforth, T. (2023). Europe and Kyiv Wary of U.S.-Russia Summit, Fear Exclusion and Unfavourable Territorial Concessions. Reuters. [2] Bayer, L. (2023). Europe's leaders warn Trump against selling out Ukraine's interests at U.S.-Russia summit. Politico. [3] Chambers, M. (2023). Europeans fear U.S.-Russia summit could weaken Western security commitments to Ukraine. Deutsche Welle. [4] Dysa, Y. (2023). Kyiv and Europe fear U.S.-Russia summit could pressure Ukraine into unfavourable territorial concessions. The Kyiv Independent.
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