{"id":342885,"date":"2025-08-14T03:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/342885\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T03:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:56:15","slug":"ukraine-eu-us-leaders-speak-ahead-of-trump-putin-meeting-key-takeaways-russia-ukraine-war-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/342885\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine, EU, US leaders speak ahead of Trump-Putin meeting: Key takeaways | Russia-Ukraine war News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"81\" data-end=\"276\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/8\/13\/trump-touts-second-trilateral-meeting-before-putin-summit-zelenskyy-pushes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> arrived on Wednesday<\/a> in Berlin for a virtual summit with European officials and United States President Donald Trump, convened by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"278\" data-end=\"568\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/8\/13\/what-are-zelenskyy-europe-demanding-of-trump-ahead-of-putin-summit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">call was meant<\/a> to bring European leaders together with Trump before the planned August 15 Alaska meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"278\" data-end=\"568\">Those on the call included Merz and the US president, as well as US Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the key takeaways:<\/p>\n<p>What happened on Wednesday?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"384\">The prospect of Trump meeting alone with Putin has left European leaders uneasy. Since the Alaska summit was announced, they have worked to secure Trump\u2019s ear one last time, and on Wednesday, that effort resulted in a series of high-level calls.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"386\" data-end=\"592\">About 12:00 GMT, European leaders and NATO members held a video conference with Zelenskyy. Roughly an hour later, Trump and Vice President JD Vance joined the discussion.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"594\" data-end=\"728\">Chancellor Merz and President Zelenskyy then delivered joint statements, followed by a separate address from Trump at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"730\" data-end=\"917\">Later in the day, the \u201cCoalition of the Willing\u201d, a group of 31 countries committed to strengthening support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, met in a separate virtual session, issuing a statement.<\/p>\n<p>What were the key takeaways from all these talks?<\/p>\n<p>Here is a breakdown.<\/p>\n<p>EU leaders:<\/p>\n<p>Following the talks with other European leaders and Trump:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"spaced-bullet-spacing\">\n<li class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Merz said that European and Ukrainian security interests must be respected at Friday\u2019s Alaska summit. He underlined the importance of Ukraine having a seat at the table in any peace discussions, with a ceasefire as the essential first step.<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe have made it clear that Ukraine will be at the table as soon as there is a follow-up meeting,\u201d Merz told reporters in Berlin alongside Zelenskyy. \u201cPresident Trump wants to make a ceasefire a priority,\u201d he added.<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Any territorial exchange in Ukraine \u201cmust only be discussed with Ukraine\u201d, French President Macron told reporters in Bregancon, France, following the call.<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTrump was very clear on the fact that the US wants to obtain a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska,\u201d Macron said.\u00a0 \u201cWe must continue to support Ukraine, and when I say \u2018we\u2019, I mean Europeans and Americans,\u201d he added.<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmea3nuzi003a3b6o02nngq9b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">Ukraine needs credible security guarantees as part of any peace deal, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer said following the virtual summit. The United Kingdom\u2019s support for Ukraine is \u201cunwavering\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3886718\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755143774_411_getty_689cc009b9-1755103241.jpg\" alt=\"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a joint press conference in Berlin after a virtual meeting with US President Donald Trump [Omer Messinger\/Getty Images]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a joint news conference in Berlin after a virtual meeting with US President Donald Trump [Omer Messinger\/Getty Images]Zelenskyy statements:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"spaced-bullet-spacing\">\n<li>Zelenskyy, during the news conference with Merz, said Putin is \u201cbluffing\u201d about being interested in peace. \u201cRussia is attempting to portray itself as capable of occupying all of Ukraine. That is undoubtedly what they want,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/li>\n<li>The Ukrainian leader also warned that \u201ctalks about us, without us, will not work\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEverything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format for talks. There must be a ceasefire,\u201d Zelenskyy added.<\/li>\n<li>He also said \u201cthere must be security guarantees \u2013 truly reliable ones\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Among the agreed principles, Zelenskyy said, is that Russia must not be allowed to block Ukraine\u2019s path to joining the European Union or NATO, and that peace talks should go hand in hand with maintaining pressure on Russia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The Ukrainian leader also emphasised that sanctions should be strengthened if Russia fails to agree to a ceasefire during the Alaska summit. \u201cThese are effective principles. It is important that they work,\u201d Zelenskyy added.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thank you for your support! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8GyunlWhwf\">https:\/\/t.co\/8GyunlWhwf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/1955717496545132557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Trump\u2019s news conference:<\/p>\n<p>Following the call, Trump spoke at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"spaced-bullet-spacing\">\n<li>\u201cWe had a very good call. I would rate it a 10, very friendly,\u201d Trump explained. The US leader then went on to discuss potential next steps ahead of Friday\u2019s meeting.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThere\u2019s a very good chance that we\u2019re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first. Because the first is: I\u2019m going to find out where we are and what we\u2019re doing,\u201d he said.<\/li>\n<li>Trump also mentioned the possibility of a later meeting \u201cbetween President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they\u2019d like to have me there\u201d, after the first meeting between him and Putin.<\/li>\n<li>Trump also said he plans to call Zelenskyy and other European leaders after Friday\u2019s discussions with Putin.<\/li>\n<li>The US president also said there will be \u201cvery severe consequences\u201d for Russia if Putin doesn\u2019t agree to end the war after Friday\u2019s meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3886723\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755143775_29_afp_689cc06e83dc-1755103342.jpg\" alt=\"US President Donald Trump speaks during the unveiling of the Kennedy Center Honors nominees on August 13, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC [Mandel Ngan\/ AFP]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>US President Donald Trump speaks during the unveiling of the Kennedy Center Honors nominees on August 13, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC [Mandel Ngan\/AFP]<\/p>\n<ul class=\"spaced-bullet-spacing\">\n<li>\u201cDo you believe you can convince him to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine?\u201d one journalist asked Trump. \u201cI\u2019ve had that conversation with him,\u201d Trump said.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThen I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street. So I guess the answer to that is no, because I\u2019ve had this conversation,\u201d he added.<\/li>\n<li>However, he reaffirmed his intention to find a solution: \u201cI want to end the war. It\u2019s Biden\u2019s war, but I want to end it. I\u2019ll be very proud to end this war, along with the five other wars I ended,\u201d he said, without explaining which other conflicts he was referring to. He has claimed credit for ceasefires between India and Pakistan in May and Israel and Iran in June, and helped mediate truce pacts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Trump has also repeatedly made it clear that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize and believes he is deserving of one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Coalition of the Willing:<\/p>\n<p>The coalition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/statement-of-the-co-chairs-of-the-coalition-of-the-willing-13-august-2025#:~:text=The%20Coalition%20of%20the%20Willing%20is%20ready%20to%20play%20an,its%20cooperation%20with%20third%20countries.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">issued a statement<\/a> outlining four key requirements they believe should form the basis of Friday\u2019s talks.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"spaced-bullet-spacing\">\n<li>They said \u201cmeaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a lasting and significant cessation of hostilities\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Second, if Russia refuses a ceasefire in Alaska, sanctions and other economic measures should be intensified to further strain its war economy.<\/li>\n<li>Third, \u201cinternational borders must not be changed by force\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Fourth, Ukraine should receive strong security guarantees, with the Coalition of the Willing ready to help, including a reassurance force after hostilities end. \u201cNo limitations should be placed on Ukraine\u2019s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries,\u201d the statement said. And Russia cannot veto Ukraine\u2019s path to EU or NATO membership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3886502\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-08-13T150409Z_944309193_RC2E6GA7MLQ4_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-TRUMP-EUROPE-1755097496.jpg\" alt=\"Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer co-chairs the Coalition of the Willing videoconference call with European leaders on Ukraine, ahead of the expected meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, in London, Britain, August 13, 2025. REUTERS\/Jack Taylor\/Pool\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer co-chairs the Coalition of the Willing video conference call with European leaders on Ukraine [Jack Taylor\/Reuters]Will the European intervention influence the Alaska summit?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear, but analysts say that Wednesday\u2019s calls show how Europe has managed to make sure that Trump can\u2019t ignore the continent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if certain commitments are given, we don\u2019t know what will happen once\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/8\/13\/clinton-to-trump-how-putin-has-met-courted-and-frustrated-us-presidents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Putin and Trump<\/a> find themselves in a room,\u201d Lucian Kim, a senior analyst for Ukraine with the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Europeans have quite a lot of power and even more than they realise themselves,\u201d he said, adding that it was an \u201cachievement\u201d for European leaders to get Trump\u2019s attention, and there is now a difference in tone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not a given when Trump first got into office that he would listen to the Europeans,\u201d he said. Kim also noted that Europe has used its power and influence to pressure Russia over the war.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRussia was heavily dependent on Europe, not the United States, and this lack of trade is hurting Russia,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso, you have European banks that are holding hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian government assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump has realised that without the Europeans, it will be very hard to reach any solution in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What has Russia said so far about any peace agreement?<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Fadeev told a news conference that Moscow\u2019s position remained unchanged since President Putin outlined it in June 2024.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Putin had said that a ceasefire would take effect immediately if the Ukrainian government withdrew from four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russia \u2013 Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. He also insisted that Ukraine must formally abandon its bid to join the NATO military alliance.<\/p>\n<p>Russia currently controls about 19 percent of Ukraine, including the entirety of Crimea and Luhansk, more than 70 percent of Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, as well as small portions of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on Wednesday in Berlin for a virtual summit with European officials and United&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[6178,32,2000,299,5187,1824,12,332,7661,657,49,286,333],"class_list":{"0":"post-342885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-conflict","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-european","13":"tag-germany","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-russia","16":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","17":"tag-ukraine","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-us-canada","20":"tag-vladimir-putin"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115025109628343528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}