RUSSELS, Belgium – European leaders are pushing for Ukraine to be a part of negotiations between the United States and Russia, ahead of talks between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska Friday to try to resolve the three-year war, but the European Union has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict.
The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swaths of territory, which the EU has rejected.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the talks in a meeting by video link on Monday, joined by their Ukrainian counterpart.
“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,” leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Trump to put more pressure on Russia.
In a flurry of diplomacy, Zelenskyy held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Kyiv’s main backers Germany, Britain and France.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he hoped and assumed that Zelensky would attend the leaders’ summit. AFP
Leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden — also said no decisions should be taken without Kyiv’s involvement.
Talks on ending the war could only take place during a ceasefire, they added in a joint statement.
Asked on CNN on Sunday if Zelenskyy could be present, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker responded: “Yes, I certainly think it’s possible.”
“Certainly, there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it’s a high priority to get this war to end.”
Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump’s to make, and there was no word Sunday from the White House.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said any deal between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine had to include Kyiv and the bloc.
“President Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine,” Kallas said in a statement Sunday.
“The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security,” she added.
“I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss our next steps.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will also take part in the Monday afternoon meeting, the ministry said.
NATO chief Mark Rutte told ABC’s “This Week” broadcast on Sunday that Trump was “putting pressure on Putin”.
“Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end,” he added.
Ukraine’s military said on Sunday it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains.
The village is on the frontline in the north of the country and about 20 kilometers west of the main fighting between the two armies in the northern region. AFP
– A ‘just peace’ –
