{"id":30871,"date":"2025-08-14T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T21:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=30871"},"modified":"2025-08-13T23:31:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:31:50","slug":"trump-hold-talks-with-zelenskyy-and-european-allies-ahead-of-meeting-with-putin-in-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/trump-hold-talks-with-zelenskyy-and-european-allies-ahead-of-meeting-with-putin-in-alaska\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump hold talks with Zelenskyy and European allies ahead of meeting with Putin in Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

6 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House has described the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting as a \u201clistening exercise,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the virtual meeting, Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine\u2019s position remains firm: a ceasefire must come before any negotiations on territory, and security guarantees must be real and enforceable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees, real security guarantees,\u201d Zelenskyy said. \u201cAnd by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also stressed that \u201cRussia cannot have a veto as to European or NATO perspectives against Ukraine,\u201d reaffirming that Ukraine and its allies have one shared goal: \u201cPeace in Ukraine, peace in Europe.\u201d Zelenskyy urged that sanctions be strengthened if Russia refuses to agree to a ceasefire during the Alaska talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Trump signals Ukraine\u2019s role in territorial talks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cThe 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,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French leader added that Trump hopes to arrange a future trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy after Friday\u2019s summit. \u201cWe hope it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"French<\/a>
French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, and France’s Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu attend a video conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Union leaders about the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, on August 13, 2025. (Image Credit: Philippe Magoni\/Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump as \u201cconstructive,\u201d but emphasized that any decisions in Alaska must protect \u201cfundamental European and Ukrainian security interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Russia maintains hardline demands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia has dismissed any suggestion it might compromise on its territorial claims. The Russian Foreign Ministry\u2019s deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, reiterated on Wednesday that Moscow\u2019s position remains unchanged since President Putin set out his demands last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those demands include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from territories Russia claims and the abandonment of Ukraine\u2019s NATO ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussia\u2019s position remains unchanged, and it was voiced in this very hall just over a year ago, on June 14, 2024,\u201d Fadeev said, referring to a speech Putin gave at the foreign ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Concerns over land swap proposals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has suggested that both Ukraine and Russia may have to \u201cgive up some land\u201d to end the war. The proposal has drawn skepticism from both Kyiv and Moscow, with both sides officially rejecting such an arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European leaders fear that a land swap could legitimize Russia\u2019s territorial gains and embolden further aggression. Reports of a potential deal without Ukraine\u2019s involvement have alarmed NATO members, prompting Wednesday\u2019s coordinated diplomatic push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a meeting on the sidelines of NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Image Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)<\/sup><\/em>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


European leaders coordinate ahead of summit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diplomatic activity on August 13 was part of an effort to shape the U.S.-Russia talks and ensure Ukraine\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Trump has presented the Alaska summit as an opportunity to \u201clisten\u201d and assess possibilities for peace, his earlier remarks about land swaps have fueled speculation about the shape of a possible agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ukraine, exclusion from the main negotiating table represents a strategic risk. A deal made without Kyiv\u2019s input could leave Ukraine with diminished territory and limited security guarantees, undermining both its sovereignty and its long-term defense posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Zelenskyy\u2019s message to allies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking after Wednesday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeace in Ukraine must mean the restoration of our territorial integrity and security for our people,\u201d he said. \u201cAny compromise that allows Russia to keep its occupied territories would be a step toward more wars, not peace.\u201d He reiterated that sanctions should be strengthened if Russia refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Alaska.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ukrainian<\/a>
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepare for a virtual talk between European leaders and the US President on the Ukraine war ahead of the summit between the US and Russian leaders, in Berlin, Germany, on August 13, 2025. (Image Credit: John Macdougall\/via Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Ukraine\u2019s leadership remains focused on securing international backing to prevent an agreement that could undermine its sovereignty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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