European leaders back trilateral summit after Trump-Putin Alaska meeting
Photo: European leaders made statement after Trump-Putin meeting (president.gov.ua)
Leaders of European countries and top EU officials issued a joint statement after the meeting of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. They stated that they are ready to help organize a trilateral summit, according to the statement of European leaders.
The statement was made by:
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President of France Emmanuel Macron,
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Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni,
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Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz,
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Prime Minister of Britain Keir Starmer,
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President of Finland Alexander Stubb,
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Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk,
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President of the European Council António Costa,
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President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
In the morning, Trump informed the European leaders and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the results of his meeting with Putin.
"As President Trump said ‘there’s no deal until there’s a deal’. As envisioned by President Trump, the next step must now be further talks, including President Zelenskyy, whom he will meet soon," the statement reads.
European leaders are also ready to cooperate with Trump and Zelenskyy on holding a trilateral summit with European support.
"We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump’s statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role," the document says.
Europe believes that Russia cannot have a veto right over Ukraine’s path to the EU and NATO, and Ukrainians must independently make decisions regarding their territory.
European leaders also promised to continue their assistance to Ukraine and strengthen sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy’s reaction
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the statement of European leaders. He emphasized that it is necessary to achieve real peace, which will be long-term and not just another pause between Russian invasions.
"It is necessary to stop killings as soon as possible, cease fire both on the battlefield, in the air, and against our port infrastructure. All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released and children abducted by Russia returned," added the head of state.
According to Zelenskyy, in the conversation with Trump, he spoke about the need to strengthen sanctions if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia evades an honest end to the war.
"All issues that are important for Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, including territorial, is resolved without Ukraine," he emphasized.
Meeting of Trump and Putin in Alaska
President of the United States Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. Negotiations were in the "three on three" format and lasted three hours. After that, they gave a brief press conference.
More details about the negotiations of Trump and Putin – in the RBC-Ukraine material.
Later, the US President confirmed that he wants to conclude a rapid peace agreement instead of a ceasefire deal.
On Monday, August 18, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go to Washington to discuss details of ending the war.
