European leaders to Trump: only Ukraine can discuss Ukraine's borders

Brussels – Donald Trump “broadly shares the position of the Europeans.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is spreading optimism after the call between a group of EU leaders and the US president ahead of his bilateral with Vladimir Putin on 15 August, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting lasted less than an hour, and according to the chancellor, now “there is hope that something is moving. There is hope that there can be peace in Ukraine.” In the call, he added, it was reiterated that “the borders must not be changed by violence, and the legal recognition of the Russian occupation is not up for discussion.” After Trump’s recent announcement about undefined “territorial exchanges”, Ukrainians and Europeans’ first concern is that, in Alaska, decisions may be made that should not be made at that table. But on which, little by little, the convinced resignation seems to be asserting itself that in order to have peace, something, in some way, may have to be ceded to Moscow.

Trump was also satisfied with the meeting: ‘We had a very good call,’ he told reporters, going so far as to declare that ‘yes, there will be consequences’ if Putin does not take steps towards peace.

If things go well, the US president explained, ‘a second quick meeting between President Putin, President Zelenskyy and myself, if they want me to be there, is possible, and that would be a meeting where maybe we could really find a solution, but… already in the first meeting, great results could be achieved. It will be a very important meeting, but it will serve to prepare the ground for the second meeting.’ But he also added that ‘there may not be a second meeting, because if I don’t think it’s appropriate to do so, having not gotten the answers we need, then there won’t be a second meeting.’

The European partners want to push for “solid security guarantees for Ukraine,” and the strategy, Merz explained, “is based on support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. So, if there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, the US and Europeans will have to increase the pressure.”

Zelensky, who called on partners to increase pressure on Moscow, meeting the press with Merz after the call, reiterated that “any issue concerning the territorial integrity of our country cannot be discussed without taking into account our people, the will of our people, and the Ukrainian Constitution.” However, he also stressed that “our current mood is one of unity, and it was very positive that all partners spoke in unison, with one desire, the same principles, and the same vision: this is an important step forward.” But he then put limits on rampant optimism: “The success of any negotiation,” he said, “depends on the results,” thus expressing his extreme caution about what will come out of the meeting in Alaska. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of Trump’s position, announcing that the US president said he “wants to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine during the meeting with Putin.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was also present, and his spokesman explained that “the Prime Minister was clear: our support for Ukraine is unconditional—international borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity under any agreement.” Starmer stressed that “Europe is ready to support this and will continue to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, did not meet the journalists but wrote a post on X. She did not go into the details of the contents, but she too appreciated the group call: “We had a very positive conversation. Europe, the US, and NATO have strengthened their common position on Ukraine.” She then announced that in the future “we will continue to coordinate closely” and that “no one wants peace more than we do, a just and lasting peace.”

The President of the European Council Antonio Costa tried to summarise the outcome of the meeting, explaining to journalists, alongside Macron, that Trump “shared with us three very important objectives: first of all the ceasefire, then that no one but Ukraine can negotiate what concerns Ukraine, and third element the United States’ willingness to share with Europe efforts to strengthen the security conditions when we have achieved a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”

The meeting was also attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who stressed in a statement that “the discussion revealed a strong unity of views in reaffirming that a just and lasting peace cannot disregard a ceasefire, continued support for Ukraine, the maintenance of collective pressure on Russia, including through the instrument of sanctions, and solid and credible security guarantees anchored to the Euro-Atlantic context”. Meloni said she was “very satisfied with the unity of purpose and capacity for dialogue that the West is demonstrating in the face of a fundamental challenge to security and the defence of international law.” According to the premier, however, “now is the time to see what will be, in Alaska, the attitude of Russia, which so far has not intended to take any significant step forward.”

English version by the Translation Service of Withub