Ukraine and European Allies Seek Talks with Trump Amid US-Russia Summit

Ukraine and its European backers have expressed concern that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin might agree to land swaps or other terms that favor Russia during their upcoming summit in Alaska. In an effort to protect their security interests, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies have sought talks with Trump, who is scheduled to meet with Putin on Friday. The Europeans, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, have organized a series of meetings to discuss "further options for action to put pressure on Russia" and "preparations for possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security."

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies have been excluded from the US-Russia summit in Alaska, sparking concerns that Trump and Putin might agree to land swaps or other terms that favor Russia.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has organized a series of meetings with Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky, and other European leaders to discuss "further options for action to put pressure on Russia" and "preparations for possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security."
• The European leaders have stressed that any land swaps or peace terms must be agreed upon with Ukraine's participation, with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk stating that "state borders cannot be changed by force."
• Concerns have grown in Europe that Kyiv may be pressed to give up land or accept other curbs on its sovereignty, with a "coalition of the willing" being formed by countries ready to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia.
• Ukraine and its European allies reject the notion that Putin should lay claim to any territory even before agreeing to a ceasefire, with the Ukrainian president and his allies insisting that a ceasefire must come first.
• Within the last year, Russia has illegally annexed 4 Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south - and occupies the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

Statistics:

• Over 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the relentless pounding of urban areas, according to UN estimates.
• Ukraine has a 1,000-kilometer front line where Russia's bigger army has made slow but costly progress with its summer offensive.
• Four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south - have been illegally annexed by Russia.
• Russia also occupies the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

Sources:

• The Associated Press
• The Associated Press with a file from Reuters