European Leaders Call for Increased Pressure on Russia Amid Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit

European leaders have called for increased «pressure» on Russia following the announcement of a summit between Trump and Putin aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine, which raised fears that an agreement might force Ukraine to relinquish significant territories.

The presidents of Russia and the United States are scheduled to meet in Alaska this Friday to seek solutions to the ongoing three-year war, despite Ukrainian and European officials emphasizing that Kyiv must be included in any discussions.

Upon declaring the summit last week, Trump remarked that «there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both sides,» though he did not provide further details.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed on Saturday that Ukraine would not surrender any land to Russia in exchange for peace.

«Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,» he stated via social media.

He added, «Any decisions affecting us, and especially those made without our participation, are counterproductive to peace.»

During a conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to take concrete actions toward establishing lasting peace.

In a joint statement released early Sunday morning, European leaders asserted that «only a strategy combining active diplomacy, support for Ukraine, and pressure on the Russian Federation to cease their unlawful aggression can be effective.»

They expressed support for Trump’s diplomatic initiatives, indicating their readiness to assist by continuing to back Ukraine and enforce sanctions against Russia.

«The current line of contact should serve as the foundation for negotiations,» noted the statement, which included signatures from the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain, Finland, and EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, although it provided no specifics.

They also emphasized that any resolution «must safeguard the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe,» which includes «the necessity for strong and credible security assurances enabling Ukraine to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity effectively.»

«The road to peace in Ukraine cannot be charted without the involvement of Ukraine,» they underscored.

National security advisors from Kyiv’s allies — encompassing the United States, EU nations, and the UK — convened in Britain on Saturday to align their perspectives ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron, after discussions with Zelensky, Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stated that «the future of Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukrainians» and insisted that Europe must also play a role in the negotiations.

In his evening address on Saturday, Zelensky emphasized, «There must be an honest resolution to this conflict, and it is up to Russia to conclude the war it initiated.»

Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year have not yielded any progress.

Since Russia commenced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands have died, and millions have been displaced.

Putin, who has been in power for over 25 years and is a former KGB officer, has ruled out direct discussions with Zelensky at this time.

Zelensky continues to advocate for a three-way summit, asserting that engaging with Putin is essential for making headway toward peace.

The upcoming summit in Alaska, a territory purchased from Russia by the United States in 1867, will mark the first meeting of sitting U.S. and Russian presidents since Biden met with Putin in Geneva in June 2021.

Nine months after that meeting, Russia deployed troops to Ukraine.

Regarding the chosen location, Zelensky noted that it is «very far from the ongoing war raging on our land and against our people.»

The Kremlin described the site selection as «logical,» indicating that the region bordering the Arctic is where their «economic interests intersect.»

Moscow has also extended an invitation for Trump to visit Russia in return.

Trump and Putin last appeared together at a G20 summit in Japan in 2019 during Trump’s initial term. Since then, they have communicated via phone multiple times, yet Trump has not fulfilled his promise to broker peace in Ukraine.

In the early hours of Saturday, attacks continued as both Russia and Ukraine launched numerous drones at each other’s positions.

In Ukraine’s frontline city of Kherson, a civilian bus was struck, resulting in two fatalities and 16 injuries.

The Russian military claimed to have captured Yablonovka, a village in the Donetsk region that has seen heavy fighting, one of the five areas that Putin asserts belongs to Russia.

In 2022, the Kremlin proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — even without full control over them.

As a condition for any peace negotiations, Moscow has required that Ukraine withdraw its troops from these regions, commit to neutrality, forgo Western military support, and agree to abstain from NATO membership.

Kyiv has declared that it will never accept Russian dominance over its sovereign land, although it recognizes that regaining territories occupied by Russia will require diplomatic efforts rather than military action.