European leaders are racing to prevent both themselves and Ukraine from being excluded from upcoming peace talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The concern is that the two leaders could decide the military and political future of Ukraine (and by extension, Europe) without the direct involvement of those most affected.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spent the weekend holding more than a dozen phone calls with global leaders, from France and Germany to the head of the International Monetary Fund, after reports emerged that Ukraine may not have a seat at the table.
The meeting between Trump and Putin is set for Friday in Alaska and will be their first face-to-face encounter of Trump’s second term, as well as the first time any G7 leader has met with Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, BBC News detailed.
“We cannot accept territorial questions being discussed or even decided between Russia and America over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told ARD, Germany’s state broadcaster, on Sunday. A joint statement from European leaders declared that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
NBC News reported that the White House is considering inviting Zelenskyy to the meeting, though his office said Monday no final decision had been made. Trump hinted last week at potential terms, saying there would be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” Hours later, Zelenskyy rejected the idea outright, stating, “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
Moscow’s demands remain maximalist, calling for Ukraine to cede all of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, not just the currently occupied portions, which total around 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Kyiv has consistently refused, but many in Ukraine’s camp worry that Trump’s eagerness to secure a deal could lead to concessions without the necessary “security guarantees” to deter future Russian aggression.
“The angst is that, in Trump’s desire to have some sort of deal, it’s going to be a really bad deal for Ukraine,” said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army officer. “This seems to be a deal between the gangster and the real estate mogul. But the real stakeholders, who should be involved, are not.”
Over the weekend, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy hosted European counterparts at his Chevening residence. His main guest, however, was U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who visited while on vacation, per The Guardian. Despite their differing politics, Lammy and Vance bonded over fishing and shared working-class backgrounds. But Vance was clear on policy, telling Fox News: “We’re done with the funding of the Ukraine war business… If the Europeans want to step up and buy weapons from American producers, we’re OK with that.”
Russia and Ukraine remain fundamentally opposed in their aims. Moscow seeks more land, a weakened Ukrainian military, and a guarantee Kyiv will never join NATO; conditions critics say would make Ukraine a de facto Russian satellite. Ukraine’s goal is simpler but no less urgent: to survive as a sovereign nation and halt the devastating drain of lives and resources caused by nearly three years of war.