Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and top European leaders are set to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump in a virtual meeting on Wednesday, just two days before Trump’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The call aims to reinforce the importance of protecting Ukraine’s interests in any potential peace deal.
Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin — the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021 — is being billed by the White House as a “listening exercise.” Trump has described it as a chance to “feel out” Putin in hopes of advancing a ceasefire in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, now in its fourth year.
Trump has recently shifted gears, agreeing to meet with the Russian leader after expressing frustration over Moscow’s resistance to U.S. peace efforts. Last week, he claimed his envoy had made “great progress” in talks with Russian officials. However, Trump has also suggested that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to make territorial concessions to reach a deal — a stance that has alarmed European allies and Ukraine alike.
Russian forces currently occupy nearly 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
The uncertainty surrounding the Alaska summit has sparked concern in European capitals that Trump might push for a deal behind closed doors — potentially pressuring Ukraine to accept unfavorable terms in pursuit of ending the conflict.
“We are working intensively to ensure that doesn’t happen,” said a senior Eastern European official. “Coordination with the U.S. and unity among European partners is essential. There’s still time before Friday.”
The video conference, scheduled for 1200 GMT, will include Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and leaders from Germany, France, Britain, Finland, Italy, Poland, and the European Union. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host the session.
A second virtual meeting, at 1300 GMT, will involve Trump and Vice President JD Vance engaging directly with European leaders. Later at 1430 GMT, a session of the “coalition of the willing” — a group focused on post-ceasefire support for Ukraine — will convene.
While European leaders have publicly welcomed Trump’s diplomatic push, they continue to stress that any agreement must involve Ukraine directly. Behind the scenes, several senior EU officials told Reuters they fear a possible deal that would undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and European security.
A U.S. source familiar with internal discussions said Trump cutting a separate deal with Putin could not be ruled out, though doing so might cause diplomatic rifts with both Kyiv and the EU.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday that the summit’s purpose is to hear “what it will take to get to a deal.”
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces remain under mounting pressure. A Gallup poll last week showed that 69% of Ukrainians support a negotiated end to the war — but not at any cost. Public opinion remains firmly against territorial concessions viewed as unjust or coerced.
Zelensky underscored that position on Tuesday, declaring that Ukraine would not agree to any deal that required its troops to withdraw from the eastern Donbas, much of which is already under Russian occupation.
