European leaders rally behind Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meeting

KYIV, Ukraine — European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of a planned meeting this week between President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Trump had said Friday’s meeting in Alaska with his Russian counterpart was to discuss ending the more than three-year war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by thanking European allies and wrote on X on Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”

Worries in Europe

Saturday’s statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S. president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” That raised fears that Ukraine may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to speak publicly, told the Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now he will have the bilateral meeting requested by Putin. Trump had earlier said he would meet with Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelensky.

On Saturday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British foreign secretary’s weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.

The Trump-Putin meeting could prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in 2022 and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

Leaders’ statement

Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the U.K., stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.

“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the Europeans added.

A fruitless push toward a truce

A monthlong U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Trump had also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if Moscow did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.

Russia last week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and accept limits on its military in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country. Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.

Mark Galeotti, an expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consulting firm in the United Kingdom, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “seems to feel he is still winning.”

“Putin does not appear to feel under pressure,” Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper.

He said that for Putin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins.”

‘An important week of diplomacy’

Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily. But Zelensky on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.

Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be “agonizing” and politically dangerous for Zelensky.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelensky, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

“Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,” he said.

Kullab writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.