All European leaders (except Hungary) are pushing for Zelensky to attend the Trump-Putin meeting.

BarcelonaAll heads of state of the European Union (EU), with one exception: Hungary, published a joint statement on Tuesday arguing that "the Ukrainian people must be free to decide their future" and that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine." They thus defended the need for Ukraine to be present in The bilateral meeting between the leaders of the United States, Donald Trump, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, which will be held this Friday, August 15, in Alaska. The European leaders also emphasize that "meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities." "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe," reads the declaration signed by 26 heads of state, which was agreed upon Monday evening and published Tuesday.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the Russian military's "preparations for new offensive operations." "So far, there is no indication that the Russians have received any signals to prepare for a post-war situation; on the contrary," Zelensky said, asserting that Moscow is deploying troops on the ground. In a social media post Tuesday morning, the Ukrainian leader thanked European governments for their support and recalled that "international borders cannot be changed by force." "Issues related to the security of Ukraine and Europe are discussed by all of us together. Any decision must contribute to our joint security capabilities," he said, adding: "We all support President Trump's determination, and together we must adopt positions that will not allow Russia to deceive the world again."

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, European leaders feared they would be left behind in peace efforts in Ukraine. With the announcement of Trump's meeting with Putin on Friday, those fears were confirmed. The meeting, Putin's first with a US president since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, came about after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Russian leader last Thursday, the day before his mandate expired. Trump's ultimatum for Russia to end hostilities.

Several European leaders reacted on Saturday with a joint statement signed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Finland, as well as by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. But on Tuesday morning, all 26 EU member states, with one exception: the government of Viktor Orbán—close to Russia and Trumpism—issued a joint statement calling for Ukraine, and Europe, to have a seat at the table.

EU leaders declined to engage in direct confrontation with Trump and, in their letter, "welcome the efforts" of the US president to end the war of aggression against Ukraine and achieve "a just and lasting peace and security" in the invaded country. However, they warn that any potential peace agreement "must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the non-forcible change of international borders." In recent days, Trump has repeatedly insisted that a "swap" of territories between the two countries will be necessary to end the conflict.

The joint text also emphasizes that the war of aggression against Ukraine has implications for European and international security and that "a diplomatic solution" must protect both Ukraine and European security interests. The letter comes after it was revealed that Zelensky and other European leaders intend to speak by phone with Trump before the Alaska meeting.

Diplomatic moves on both sides

In recent days, various European politicians have met with US leaders to try to understand Putin's starting position for Friday's talks and what concessions the United States is willing to make. The moves began on Saturday, when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Spanish President Pedro Sánchez also called, and Sánchez endorsed the message in the European leaders' statement, although he did not sign it.

For his part, Putin has also maintained diplomatic relations with his main allies in recent days. Last week, he outlined his plans for the summit in the main BRICS countries—Brazil, India, China, and South Africa—to the Belarusian president and the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

Russia's position regarding Friday's meeting with Trump, however, has not been made public, although Putin's demands appear unchanged: Moscow wants international recognition of Russian annexations—including Crimea and Donbas—along with Ukrainian neutrality and an end to foreign military aid. According to British government sources, the Kremlin attaches symbolic importance to Trump's handshake, believing it legitimizes the Russian president.

In this context, Trump stated on Friday that he could discuss possible territorial concessions from Ukraine to Russia: "We are looking at it. We are actually considering taking back some and exchanging some [...] There will be an exchange of territories for mutual convenience." The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, clarified on Sunday that "there will be no cessions [of territory] that have not been won on the battlefield."

Zelensky completely rejected Kiev's recognition of the occupation of Ukrainian territory and reiterated that there would be no peace agreement without his participation. Similarly, several European leaders have expressed their concern that a territorial cession could be a prelude to further demands for territorial expansion by the Kremlin. Over the weekend, Whitaker stated that "it's possible" Trump would invite the Ukrainian leader to Alaska that same Friday. However, if the invitation were to materialize, it is unclear whether a trilateral summit would be held or whether Trump would hold talks with both leaders separately.