A diplomatic skirmish unfolded on Saturday after United States President Donald Trump announced that he would meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may also be present during this meeting, UNN reports with reference to CNN.
Details
In the English countryside on Saturday, European officials presented their position to Vice President J.D. Vance at a hastily arranged meeting. Leaders of several European countries subsequently stated that while they support Trump's diplomatic efforts, any peace talks must be preceded by a ceasefire, and Ukraine itself must be actively involved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not named as a participant in the Alaska summit, which was scheduled to take place on Friday between Trump and Putin. However, the White House has not completely ruled out Zelenskyy's participation in some meetings, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
One White House official emphasized that anything involving Zelenskyy would likely happen after the Trump-Putin meeting.
The meeting came together very quickly, and details are still being ironed out. A White House official said Trump remains “open to a trilateral summit with both leaders,” but that “the White House is planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”
Since Trump revealed plans to meet with Putin on social media on Friday, intensive diplomatic efforts have been underway behind the scenes to engage US allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address after President Trump's announcement of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine is "ready to cooperate with President Trump," but rejected the idea of any territorial concessions.
Notably, Trump's statement did not say whether Zelenskyy would be included in the process or when. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy and European leaders emphasized that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations to end the war.
At Saturday's meeting, hosted by Vance at the British Foreign Secretary's estate, European officials laid out their terms and sought more information from US officials about a plan Putin presented to US envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday.
According to Western officials, they emphasized a number of points: Ukraine must be involved in negotiations, a ceasefire must be observed before other steps are taken, and if Ukraine makes territorial concessions, Russia must also concede territorial actions it currently occupies.
Recall
In a statement released subsequently, the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Finland said the group welcomed "President Trump's work aimed at ending the killing in Ukraine, ending the Russian Federation's aggressive war, and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine."
On Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he "appreciates and fully supports" the joint statement. But it outlined conditions for a peace plan that appeared to differ from what Putin proposed, in which he, according to Western officials, seeks significant territorial concessions.