Trump reassures Europe on Ukraine talks

European leaders seek firm guarantees that Ukraine’s sovereignty will be protected as Trump meets Putin before the Alaska meeting.

Trump reassures Europe on Ukraine talks ahead of Alaska summit

Trump told European leaders via video conference that he would seek a ceasefire in Ukraine at his summit with Vladimir Putin and reassured them he would not make any territorial concessions without Kyiv’s full involvement.

The session, disclosed by France’s Emmanuel Macron, was intended to shape Trump’s negotiating stance ahead of the Alaska talks. The group of leaders included Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Poland and Finland, along with Ursula von der Leyen, while Zelenskyy and some European figures were not invited to participate in the actual meeting. European officials pressed for assurances that Ukrainian sovereignty would be protected and floated the idea of a trilateral meeting in Europe that would include Ukraine, the United States and Russia.

The episode highlights a pattern in which European allies try to constrain a volatile U.S. approach to Ukraine. They want formal guarantees that Kyiv’s position will not be weakened as part of a broader deal with Moscow. The talks also test Europe’s confidence in U.S. leadership at a moment when Russian momentum on the battlefield is raising pressure to show results. The Alaska setting could redefine how far Western powers are willing to go to secure a ceasefire without triggering new rounds of fighting.

Highlights

The coming weeks will reveal how much weight Brussels can carry in a negotiation that many see as a turning point for regional security.