By Associated Press’s LORNE COOK
AP (BRUSSELS) Leaders of the European Union urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to protect their security interests during a crucial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week about the conflict in Ukraine.
Ahead of Friday’s summit, Putin seemed poised to make a significant territory grab that might be used as leverage in any peace talks.
The Europeans, who have been excluded from the summit, are keen to have some say in it. Whether Ukraine will participate is still up in the air. Trump has stated that he wants to know if Putin is sincere about putting an end to the conflict, which is currently in its fourth year.
However, Trump’s announcement that Ukraine will have to cede some land controlled by Russia has disappointed U.S. allies in Europe. Although it’s unclear what Putin may be expected to give up, he also stated that Russia must accept land swaps.
Putin, who has fought the largest land war in Europe since 1945 and has used Russia’s energy power to try to intimidate the EU, has the Europeans and Ukraine worried that he would get favorable concessions and lay out the parameters of a peace agreement without them.
The main concern among European nations is that, should Putin prevail in Ukraine, he will then target one of them.
The leaders stated in a statement released early Tuesday that they applaud President Trump’s efforts to put an end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, they emphasized that Ukraine alone cannot pick the course for peace in Ukraine.
They stated that the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition against forcible boundary changes must all be upheld by international law in order to achieve a fair and sustainable peace that promotes stability and security.
The notion that Ukraine must agree to cede land in order to obtain a ceasefire has been rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Four of the country’s regions—two in the east and two in the south—are under the tenuous control of Russia.
On Monday, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to European leaders for their backing and called for increased economic and political pressure on Moscow as long as the war and occupation are maintained.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, “We can see that the Russian army is not getting ready to end the war.” Instead, they are making motions that suggest they are getting ready for fresh offensive actions. It is crucial that nothing jeopardizes global solidarity in such circumstances.
Any ceasefire agreement would be on Moscow’s terms, undermine international law, and send a terrible message to the rest of the world, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, an assistant to the head of Zelenskyy’s office.
Podolyak stated on Telegram that Putin’s ultimate objective is to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state by destroying its military, foreign policy, and right to self-determination.
According to a Telegram message by the Ukrainian Ground Forces, a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian military training center killed one soldier and injured eleven more. The Ukrainian Ground Forces said that cluster munitions were fired at soldiers who were hurrying to bunkers.
Russia’s forces were reportedly quickly infiltrating positions north of Pokrovsk, suggesting that the country was on the verge of capturing a significant city in the Donetsk region.
The following 24 to 48 hours could be crucial, according to military analysts who track the engagements using open source data. Russia would gain a significant military victory prior to the conference if Pokrovsk were lost. Additionally, it would make it more difficult for Ukraine to supply the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has concentrated the majority of its military efforts.
The number, quality, and availability of Ukrainian reserves will determine a lot. Late Monday, analyst Pasi Paroinen of the Finland-based Black Bird Group posted on X.
Russian infantry soldiers are attempting to infiltrate Ukraine’s defensive positions in the Donetsk area, according to the country’s military. While acknowledging that the situation is still challenging, unpleasant, and dynamic, the Ukrainian military command in the region said on Facebook Monday that enemy soldiers who breach Ukrainian lines in an attempt to seize additional land face certain death.
Trump reiterated on Monday that some land exchanging would take place. He claimed that both Russia and Ukraine would suffer some negative effects from this. Supporters of Ukraine are uneasy with his ostensibly public rehabilitation of Putin, who is a pariah in most of Europe.
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Trump again attacked Zelenskyy, pointing out that the leader of Ukraine had ruled the country for the entirety of the conflict and that nothing had occurred during that time. He compared that to Putin, who has ruled Russia for decades without opposition.
It’s unclear if Trump’s repeated misstatements that he would be visiting Russia on Friday to meet with Putin alarmed the Europeans. The U.S. state of Alaska, where the summit is being held, was occupied by Russia in the 18th century until it was ceded to the United States in 1867 by Czar Alexander II.
At virtual meetings called by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday, Europeans will try again to win Trump over to Ukraine’s cause. Trump stated, “I’m going to get everyone’s ideas before meeting with Putin,” but he did not confirm if he would participate.
Additionally, Tuesday’s declaration was intended to serve as a symbol of European solidarity. However, it was not supported by Viktor Orbín, the prime minister of Hungary, Putin’s closest European friend who has attempted to thwart EU assistance for Ukraine. Of the 27 leaders of the bloc, he was the only one who declined to do so.
This article was written in Kyiv by Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab of the Associated Press.
