On Saturday, a coalition of European countries came together to show their support for Ukraine, saying that any solution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine must include Kyiv. This announcement was made ahead of a planned meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which does not include Ukraine’s leader.

The statement, signed by the president of the European Union and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, and the United Kingdom, stated that the “path to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine.”

The coalition highlighted the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, which requires “strong and reliable” security guarantees. “Ukraine has the right to decide its own future. Real negotiations can only happen in the context of a ceasefire or a decrease in fighting,” the statement said.

This announcement by top European leaders, who also recognized President Trump’s efforts to stop the violence in Ukraine, came after Mr. Trump disclosed a one-on-one meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, following weeks of U.S. pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire. This meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and an American leader since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022.
According to report, Mr. Trump is still willing to meet jointly with Zelenskyy and Putin — but for now, the arrangement is bilateral, as requested by Putin.

Also, Mr. Trump said last week that he anticipates “some swapping of territories” between Ukraine and Russia. The Russian military currently controls large parts of eastern Ukraine, and Russia has expressed interest in having Ukraine give up these areas — a suggestion that Zelenskyy has firmly rejected.

The Europeans stated, “We think that countries shouldn’t change their borders by force. The current borders should be the starting point for talks.”

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the Europeans for their statement in a post on X, thanking everyone who supports Ukraine. He had previously turned down the idea of a meeting between Putin and Trump, saying that any peace agreement that doesn’t include Ukraine “will never work.”

At the same time, Vice President JD Vance met on Saturday with key European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend home to discuss ways to end the war.

A meeting between Trump and Putin could be significant in a conflict that started when Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to many casualties. However, it’s uncertain if this meeting will end the fighting, as Moscow and Kyiv have very different views on peace.

A month-long effort led by the U.S. to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine has not produced results. Ukraine has indicated its agreement in principle to discussions; however, Russia is persisting in requesting terms that would be more advantageous for them.

Mr. Trump stated that he would increase sanctions on Russia and impose additional tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil if progress towards a resolution is not made. A deadline for this was set for Friday. On Saturday, the White House did not answer questions on Saturday about possible sanctions.

Earlier this week, the Kremlin stated its demands for Ukraine to give up some of its land, stop seeking to join NATO, and accept certain military limits in exchange for pulling Russian troops out of most of the country.

On Saturday, President Zelenskyy from Ukraine strongly stated that Ukraine “will not reward Russia for what it has done” and confirmed that “Ukrainians will not give up their land to the invader.”

Ukrainian officials told Associated Press about a potential peace deal that might include giving up some territory, Zelenskyy firmly insisted that giving away any land is not an option.