IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump held a virtual meeting on August 13, 2025, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders ahead of his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

The White House has described the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting as a “listening exercise,” seeking to manage expectations for an immediate peace deal. However, the fact that Zelenskyy will not attend the Alaska summit has raised concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Ukraine could be excluded from decisions affecting its future.

In the virtual meeting, Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine’s position remains firm: a ceasefire must come before any negotiations on territory, and security guarantees must be real and enforceable.

“There should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees, real security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said. “And by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that.”

He also stressed that “Russia cannot have a veto as to European or NATO perspectives against Ukraine,” reaffirming that Ukraine and its allies have one shared goal: “Peace in Ukraine, peace in Europe.” Zelenskyy urged that sanctions be strengthened if Russia refuses to agree to a ceasefire during the Alaska talks.

Trump signals Ukraine’s role in territorial talks

French President Emmanuel Macron, who also took part in the virtual discussions, said Trump had been clear that Ukraine must participate in any talks on territorial arrangements. “The United States wants to achieve a ceasefire at the Alaska summit, and territorial issues relating to Ukraine will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president,” Macron said.

The French leader added that Trump hopes to arrange a future trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy after Friday’s summit. “We hope it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties,” Macron said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump as “constructive,” but emphasized that any decisions in Alaska must protect “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests.”

Russia maintains hardline demands

Russia has dismissed any suggestion it might compromise on its territorial claims. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, reiterated on Wednesday that Moscow’s position remains unchanged since President Putin set out his demands last year.

Those demands include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from territories Russia claims and the abandonment of Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.

“Russia’s position remains unchanged, and it was voiced in this very hall just over a year ago, on June 14, 2024,” Fadeev said, referring to a speech Putin gave at the foreign ministry.

Russia currently controls around 19% of Ukraine, including all of Crimea, the entirety of Luhansk, more than 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as smaller areas of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk.

Concerns over land swap proposals

Trump has suggested that both Ukraine and Russia may have to “give up some land” to end the war. The proposal has drawn skepticism from both Kyiv and Moscow, with both sides officially rejecting such an arrangement.

European leaders fear that a land swap could legitimize Russia’s territorial gains and embolden further aggression. Reports of a potential deal without Ukraine’s involvement have alarmed NATO members, prompting Wednesday’s coordinated diplomatic push.

On August 13, Zelenskyy traveled to Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and Trump. European officials are concerned that the Alaska summit could conclude with a framework leaving Russia in control of nearly a fifth of Ukraine.

European leaders coordinate ahead of summit

The diplomatic activity on August 13 was part of an effort to shape the U.S.-Russia talks and ensure Ukraine’s voice is heard. German Chancellor Merz invited Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and leaders from Britain, Finland, France, Italy, and Poland.

According to the German chancellery, the meetings focused on increasing pressure on Russia, preparing for possible peace negotiations, and discussing territorial and security arrangements. The European Commission confirmed that its president, Ursula von der Leyen, would also participate.

The Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska will be the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021 and comes amid the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. The war, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

While Trump has presented the Alaska summit as an opportunity to “listen” and assess possibilities for peace, his earlier remarks about land swaps have fueled speculation about the shape of a possible agreement.

For Ukraine, exclusion from the main negotiating table represents a strategic risk. A deal made without Kyiv’s input could leave Ukraine with diminished territory and limited security guarantees, undermining both its sovereignty and its long-term defense posture.

Zelenskyy’s message to allies

Speaking after Wednesday’s talks, Zelenskyy stressed that unity among Ukraine and its European partners is crucial to counter Russian pressure. He warned that any peace arrangement must not reward aggression.

“Peace in Ukraine must mean the restoration of our territorial integrity and security for our people,” he said. “Any compromise that allows Russia to keep its occupied territories would be a step toward more wars, not peace.” He reiterated that sanctions should be strengthened if Russia refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Alaska.

After the Alaska summit, Trump is expected to brief European leaders and seek to arrange the proposed trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy. Whether that meeting will take place, and under what conditions, remains unclear.

For now, Ukraine’s leadership remains focused on securing international backing to prevent an agreement that could undermine its sovereignty.