Zelenskyy and European leaders express cautious optimism following a call with Trump, ahead of the Alaska summit.
Headline: European Leaders, Trump, and Zelenskyy Discuss Ceasefire in Ukraine Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
The virtual meeting between European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, held on Wednesday, aimed to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.
The purpose of the meeting was to establish a framework for ending the war in Ukraine and to ensure Ukrainian and European voices were heard in the peace process.
During the meeting, Trump expressed optimism about the upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced plans for a possible future in-person meeting involving Putin, Zelenskyy, and himself to negotiate peace.
European leaders, led by Merz, pushed publicly for security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any ceasefire deal. Zelenskyy and the European leaders emphasized that a ceasefire was a necessary precondition for further negotiations or any trilateral meeting with Putin.
Trump committed to providing Ukraine with "very good protection" and warned of "very severe consequences" if Putin refused to stop the war, though details were not elaborated.
Zelenskyy proposed a trilateral format for talks, including Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia. Macron also stated that security guarantees would form a part of any potential deal. Any territorial exchange in Ukraine, according to Macron, "must only be discussed with Ukraine."
Zelenskyy warned that "talks about us, without us, will not work." He also asserted that Russia is attempting to portray itself as capable of occupying all of Ukraine, and that Putin is "bluffing" about being interested in peace.
The meeting set a diplomatic stage for the forthcoming Trump-Putin summit and highlighted the importance of security guarantees and a ceasefire before further peace talks could proceed. Trump reportedly stated that the meeting was intended to establish a ceasefire between both nations.
Zelenskyy stated that everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine, and that Russia must not block Ukraine's path to join the EU NATO. He expressed gratitude for Trump's efforts to end the conflict and rated the meeting as a "10."
In conclusion, while no ceasefire was immediately achieved, the meeting paved the way for a productive dialogue between world leaders and emphasized the importance of Ukraine's involvement in any peace process.
- Remarks made during the meeting emphasized the significance of improved sports and health facilities in Ukraine as part of a post-conflict rebuilding process, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggesting that such investments could foster a sense of unity and recovery among the people.
- In addition to discussions about the ceasefire in Ukraine, general news topics such as politics and war-and-conflicts were also brought up during the meeting, particularly concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions and future actions regarding Ukraine and the wider region.
