European leaders—all but one—issued a firm appeal this week that Ukrainians must be allowed to determine their own future, a move meant to shape talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, The Guardian reported on August 12.

“Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the EU leaders said in a communique agreed. They added that “we share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

The declaration, signed by 26 of the 27 EU heads of state and government, stresses that any path to peace “cannot be decided without Ukraine” and that a durable settlement must “respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and that international borders must not be changed by force.”

Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy Intensify High-Stakes Diplomacy Over Ceasefire Talks. Here’s What We Know

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Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy Intensify High-Stakes Diplomacy Over Ceasefire Talks. Here’s What We Know

Aug 07, 2025 16:25

The move was timed to influence a high-stakes, off-site meeting in Alaska on Friday, where Trump and Putin are expected to discuss options for ending the war in Ukraine, including, according to the US President, potential “land swapping.”

European capitals and Kyiv have expressed concern that a bilateral US–Russia exchange could define the outlines of a settlement without meaningful input from Ukraine or the European Union.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly rejected the notion that Ukraine should be forced to cede territory to secure a ceasefire; many EU leaders echoed this view in their joint statement.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to sign the EU statement and criticized his colleagues for pre-emptively setting conditions for a summit to which Europe was not invited. In a post on X, Orbán said the bloc should not issue directions “from the bench.”

“The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench,” he wrote.

Rather than criticizing the US–Russia meeting, Orbán urged EU leaders to organize their own summit: “The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the US-Russia meeting.”

European leaders have planned further engagement ahead of Alaska. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is convening virtual discussions aimed at aligning EU and US approaches; officials said the purpose is to make sure any diplomatic push toward a ceasefire protects Ukraine’s security and includes Kyiv at the table.

Earlier, Washington promised to consult with its European partners ahead of the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. Speaking at a press conference, Tusk expressed a mixture of fear and hope about the war in Ukraine, as he awaited the outcome of the talks between the two leaders.

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