Europe Asia News

The meeting, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday’s summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine.

A German government spokesperson told POLITICO that the virtual summit will focus on options for pressuring Russia, questions regarding Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv, and the sequencing of potential peace talks.

Merz and other European leaders are demanding that Putin agree to a ceasefire before any peace negotiations or land swaps between Moscow and Kyiv take place. They have also made it clear that any possible territorial changes must be agreed upon with Kyiv and accompanied by strong security guarantees to protect Ukraine from further aggression.

Three diplomats told POLITICO that Merz’s team has been holding intensive talks with other capitals in recent days to organize the virtual meeting.

Merz also spoke by phone with Trump on Sunday night, repeatedly urging the U.S. president to increase pressure on Putin by imposing heavy sanctions on Russia’s banking sector and Moscow’s trade partners.

Speaking to German public television on Sunday night, Merz said: “We cannot accept territorial issues between Russia and America being discussed or even decided without Europeans or Ukrainians being involved,” adding: “Putin only acts under pressure.”

According to a program seen by POLITICO, the virtual meetings will begin at 14:00 German time on Wednesday, starting with a one-hour session with the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland, as well as the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Zelensky, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The program also includes a one-hour meeting at 15:00 between the European leaders and Zelensky on one side, and Trump and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on the other.

Finally, the so-called coalition of Ukraine’s voluntary military supporters will meet at 16:30 for a joint session hosted by Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.