Europe insists any Russia talks must include Ukraine

European leaders have closed ranks behind Kyiv, declaring that any negotiations to end the war must include Ukraine at the table.

In a joint statement issued ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said international borders “must not be changed by force” and pledged continued diplomatic, military and financial support for Kyiv.

A White House official said Trump is open to a three-way meeting that would bring in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but for now the Alaska encounter remains a Trump–Putin summit requested by Moscow. Trump has floated starting with a one-on-one and later moving to a trilateral format, saying “we have a shot” at arranging talks that include Zelensky.

Zelensky dismissed any agreement made without Kyiv as “dead decisions,” adding: “We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated… Any decisions without Ukraine are decisions against peace.” He also rejected suggestions of “territory swaps,” arguing that such ideas only create “more convenient positions for the Russians to resume the war.”

US media reports say the White House has tested European appetite for a deal that would see Russia keep control of Crimea and the entire Donbas region. European capitals signaled resistance, stressing Ukraine’s right to determine its own future and warning against outcomes imposed over its head.

French President Emmanuel Macron, writing on X, said Europeans “will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake,” reflecting broader concern about being sidelined from any understanding between Washington and Moscow.

Zelensky thanked allies for their stance, saying the war’s end must be “fair” and built on “reliable security foundations for Ukraine and other European nations.” He told Macron in a call that the priority is ensuring “the Russians do not get to deceive anyone again.”

US Vice-President JD Vance visited the UK on Saturday for talks with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and two of Zelensky’s top aides. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, underscored that “a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table,” adding that while a ceasefire is necessary, “the frontline is not a border.”

The Alaska summit—held in a territory Russia sold to the United States in 1867—would be the first meeting between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. Nine months after that meeting, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. In 2022, the Kremlin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson—despite not controlling them in full.

While Moscow has failed to secure a decisive breakthrough, its forces occupy large areas of eastern Ukraine. Kyiv’s counter-offensives have yet to push Russian troops back significantly, leaving front lines largely static as diplomatic maneuvering intensifies around any potential talks.