KYIV, UKRAINE – As the much-anticipated Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin draws near, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has garnered significant diplomatic backing from Europe and NATO. The summit on August 15 is meant to help end the war in Ukraine by getting a peace accord, but Kyiv and its supporters are worried that a deal between Washington and Moscow could hurt Ukraine’s interests.
On Sunday, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy leader, said the situation was a worry: “The US has the power to make Russia negotiate seriously.” Any agreement between the US and Russia must encompass Ukraine and the EU, as it pertains to the security of Ukraine and all of Europe.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told ABC News that the summit “will be about testing Putin, how serious he is about ending this terrible war.” Rutte said that any result must “recognize that Ukraine decides its own future and that Ukraine must be a sovereign nation that decides its own geopolitical future.”
A White House official said that Trump is okay with Zelensky going to the summit, but right now they are getting ready for a meeting with Putin. Zelenskiy has been very clear about his opinion that any decisions taken without Kyiv’s input would be “stillborn” and “unworkable.”
On Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission issued a joint statement that strengthened this position. They all said that any diplomatic settlement must respect the security interests of both Ukraine and Europe.
Russia’s stance and the chances for peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that prerequisites for a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky are “unfortunately still far” from being established while the summit is going on. On Sunday, Russia kept attacking Ukraine. The Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry said that at least 12 people were hurt in the Zaporizhzhia area.
Trump has said that “some swapping of territory” between Russia and Ukraine may be part of a possible peace settlement. But the authorities of Ukraine have strongly rejected this notion. Zelenskiy has said that he will not let his nation be divided again, referring to the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russia now controls over one-fifth of Ukraine’s land.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News that a negotiated settlement was unlikely to “satisfy either side,” which was a realistic view.
At the same time, a European official said that Europe has come up with a “counter-proposal” to Trump’s plan but did not give any further information. Officials in Russia have said that Europe is trying to stop Trump from ending the war.