Trump says there will be no territorial concessions without Ukraine

BerlinEuropean leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are confident that The Alaska summit on Ukraine between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, be successful and translate into a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine. For now, the first good news for Zelensky is that the US president has assured him that there will be no cession of Ukrainian territory to Russia without Kiev's approval.

"Important decisions can now be made in Alaska. We want Donald Trump to succeed in Anchorage," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference with Zelensky from the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, after holding a virtual meeting with Trump and other European leaders before the . The German Chancellor affirmed his desire for "things to remain in the right order" and added that European leaders want "a ceasefire from the outset, and then a framework agreement must be drawn up": "If Ukraine is willing to talk about territorial negotiations, then we must ensure that there are no violent changes on the border."

Zelensky and Merz see the Alaska summit as an opportunity to end the war in Ukraine. "There is hope for movement, there is hope for peace in Ukraine," the foreign minister said. "We talked about the Alaska meeting and we hope for a ceasefire," Zelensky said. However, if there is no progress at the Alaska summit, the United States and Europe will have to increase pressure on Putin, the foreign minister warned, adding that Trump agrees.

A frantic day of diplomacy

European leaders and Zelensky held a frantic day of telephone diplomacy on Wednesday. Zelensky traveled to Berlin to meet with Merz and participate in a marathon of meetings in various formats. At 2:00 p.m., he held a meeting with the heads of government of Germany, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; and European Council President António Costa. An hour later, he met with Donald Trump, his Vice President JD Vance, and Merz. The final meeting was with the member countries of the NATO coalition. Coalition of the Willing, promoted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which includes Spain. This group brings together the states most willing to provide security guarantees in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

The objective of the consultations in different formats was to find a common line with Trump before his meeting with Putin. "The exchange with Donald Trump has made it possible to clarify his intentions and, for our part, to express our expectations," explained French President Emmanuel Macron. The French leader welcomes Trump and Putin's meeting, but believes it is important for Europe to "be heard" when it comes to issues affecting the continent's security, such as the war in Ukraine.

For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte considered that the United States and its European allies are "united in pressing for an end to this terrible war against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace." "We appreciate Trump's leadership and close coordination with the allies. The ball is now in Putin's court," said the NATO Secretary General ahead of the Alaska summit.

"Our support for Ukraine is unwavering: international borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have strong and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any agreement," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement, thanking President Trump for a ceasefire to end the bloodshed.

The European leaders' statements are in line with the statement issued by the Coalition of the Willing, which calls for a ceasefire prior to peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, an increase in sanctions against Moscow if "Russia does not accept a ceasefire in Alaska," and "guarantees of [Ukraine's] security and territorial integrity." They also pledged to "deploy support forces after the end of hostilities" and called on Russia not to hinder a possible Ukrainian accession process to NATO and the EU.

Zelensky hoped that the virtual meeting with Trump It served as a European counterweight to the Alaska summit, at a time when Europeans are warning of the danger of betraying Kiev's interests in the name of a ceasefire. The Ukrainian president urged the Europeans and Trump to exert more pressure on Moscow, arguing that Putin is "bluffing" when he claims that Western sanctions do not affect the Russian economy. The Ukrainian leader asserted that Putin "does not want peace" and that the Russian president may take advantage of the ceasefire to gather forces and attack again. He also stated that the Europeans and Trump understand Kiev's position, and he was therefore very optimistic about today's talks. Despite the expectations raised by the summit, the United States sought to moderate it, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it a "listening exercise."