BRUSSELS — European leaders are demanding Donald Trump tells Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s interests must be defended and Europe’s security mustn’t be compromised.
The U.S. president, who meets his Russian counterpart in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv which is now well into its third year, has openly shunned Europe during his second term, and in the past month steamrolled the EU on trade negotiations.
Yet the bloc’s cooperation and financial heft — as well the U.K.’s — is crucial to safeguarding American interests in Ukraine.
No European leader has been invited to the talks in Alaska on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won’t be there either. But Trump’s participation in a call on Wednesday with key European chiefs, and his promise to try to claw back some territory for Ukraine signals that Europe is exerting some leverage.
European countries are now by far the largest source of financial and military support for Ukraine, and hold tens of billions of euros worth of frozen Russian assets crucial to any long-term peace settlement. Both factors make it difficult for Trump to ignore the European side.
In a statement released Tuesday morning, the leaders of 26 of the EU’s 27 countries — minus Hungary — said they “welcome the efforts of President Trump towards ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” But, the statement added, “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
And telling, the EU leaders said: “International borders must not be changed by force.”
‘Unconditional ceasefire’
Announcing Wednesday’s call with Trump on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said topics for discussion would include “options for putting pressure on Russia, possible peace talks, territorial claims and guarantees.”
Chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, after an emergency meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday, said that no concessions should be discussed before Russia agrees to a full ceasefire.
“The sequencing of the steps is important,” she said in a statement. “First, an unconditional ceasefire with a strong monitoring system and ironclad security guarantees.” That sentiment was echoed in the EU leaders’ statement on Tuesday.
Kallas further promised to work on a new package of sanctions while pledging to continue to support Kyiv financially and press ahead with its bid to join the EU.
Such demands show Europe is growing more comfortable in putting its positions forward on the resolution of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with views that have recently been more pro-Kyiv than Washington’s under Trump.
Earlier this week, the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, Finland and the U.K., as well as the head of the European Commission, warned that any peace deal needed to respect Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” — code for not forcing Kyiv to give up land — as well as security guarantees.
Though Kyiv has not publicly entertained the prospect of conceding land to Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said a final peace deal would most likely include “land swaps” — a point echoed by Trump’s chief negotiator Steve Witkoff and, later on Monday, Trump himself.
Nonetheless, Trump, while indicating he envisages Ukraine ceding some territory to Russia, said he hopes some land will go the other way. “Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine,” he said. “They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”
While Trump has declined to talk about security guarantees, his stance toward Ukraine has progressively moved closer to the European one following months of fruitless contacts with the Kremlin. Trump voiced frustration that Putin was “tapping him along” on Ukraine, while shortening a proposed deadline for a full ceasefire.
Trump’s engagement is in marked contrast to his attitude during the first few months of his presidency when he mainly spoke to Putin directly.
Frozen assets
The EU’s confidence in seeking influence reflects the reality that Europe now contributes much more military and financial aid to Ukraine than the U.S., according to the Kiel Institute, though Washington continues to provide crucial intelligence and logistical backing.
European aid and arms have been critical to Ukraine’s survival since American support dried up with Trump’s entry into the White House. A Ukrainian collapse would have unpredictable knock-on effects for U.S. interests in Europe and beyond.
Another source of leverage: the fact that some €200 billion in frozen Russian assets are held by Euroclear, a Belgium-based clearing house.
The frozen assets are widely considered to be an important part of any peace deal, with Ukraine demanding that they principally be used to pay for its reconstruction.
Ukraine, for its part, has consistently demanded that Russia return prisoners of war as well as thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children in any peace deal — demands that have won support from Europe.
Hans von der Burchard contributed to this article from Berlin.
This article has been updated.
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