A coalition of European leaders released a joint statement on Aug. 9 welcoming the news of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and stressing the need to ensure that European and Ukrainian interests are protected as the two leaders talk about ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15.
The joint statement included French, Italian, German, Polish, British, and Finnish leaders, as well as the president of the European Commission.
“We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” the leaders said, adding that they “agree that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
They also expressed support for the principle that “international borders must not be changed by force.”
“The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the statement said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Aug. 9 that “the Ukrainian people deserve peace.”
“But all partners must understand what a dignified peace is,” he added, stating that Ukraine “will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated.”
On Aug. 10, Zelenskyy said he “values and fully supports” the joint statement by the European leaders.
“The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Trump has said a deal could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” parties.
After speaking with Zelenskyy, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron took to X.
“Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now,” he wrote. “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.”
The Trump–Putin meeting will follow White House special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow on Aug. 6, during which Witkoff met with Putin for three hours of talks. Details of their discussion have not been disclosed.
It also follows a meeting between Vice President JD Vance and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as well as representatives of European allies and Ukraine, on Aug. 9 at Chevening House, a mansion outside of London, to discuss Trump’s peace push.
“President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace. And Zelenskyy wants to see peace,” Trump said on Aug. 8. “Now President Zelenskyy has to get … everything he needs because he is going to have to get ready to sign something, and I think he is working hard to get that done.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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