Europe Asia News

Reports said that Trump told Europeans the goal of the summit was to secure a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.

According to French Foreign Minister Emmanuel Macron, Trump also agreed that any territorial issues should be decided with the participation of Volodymyr Zelensky, and that security guarantees should be part of the deal.

Macron said that the meeting with Trump gave him the opportunity to “clarify his intentions” and “express the expectations” of Europeans.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and Poland, as well as EU Secretary-General Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Europeans did not attend the hastily arranged summit in Alaska, and Wednesday's phone calls were a last attempt to keep Ukraine’s interests and the continent’s security on Trump’s agenda.

On Wednesday evening, Trump rated the meeting a “10” and said that if Russia did not stop its war in Ukraine, it would face “very severe” consequences.

He also said that if Friday’s meeting went well, he would try to arrange a “quick second meeting” involving both Putin and Zelensky.

Nevertheless, European leaders reiterated in their statements that Kyiv must be included in the final decision, highlighting concerns that Putin could ultimately persuade Trump to give up Ukrainian territory in exchange for a ceasefire.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, “The most important thing for Europe is to convince Donald Trump that Russia cannot be trusted,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that leaders “made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up talks take place.”

Merz added that if the Russian side refused to make any concessions, “then the US and we Europeans must increase the pressure.”