Reinforced concrete defence obstacles known as 'dragon’s teeth' which are used to slow Russian advances, on a road in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. Russia has shown no signs of pulling back in its war against Ukraine. Photo / Tyler Hicks, The New York Times
Worried about being sidelined at an upcoming summit meeting between United States President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, European and Ukrainian leaders gathered yesterday outside London with top US officials both to understand Putin’s position and to ensure that Trump understands what is at stake.
At the meeting, the Europeans showed their solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and tried to make clear their view that Trump should take their joint perspectives into account, two European officials who were briefed on the meeting said.
The Europeans, as they have done regularly, supported Ukraine’s positions, insisting that a ceasefire must precede talks on any territorial changes, that Ukraine will not hand over territory to Russia that Moscow does not occupy and that any deal would have to be accompanied by security guarantees, including from the US, the European officials said.
They also insisted that no deal can be made by Washington and Moscow over the heads of the Ukrainians or the Europeans, who Trump says must be responsible for the post-settlement security of Ukraine.
And they insisted, as they have always done, that Nato will not shut the door to Ukrainian membership, even if that is not practical now.
The meeting, hosted by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Vice-President JD Vance, included senior officials from Ukraine and Europe. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met Putin last week, was scheduled to dial in virtually.
The Europeans were focused first on trying to learn exactly what Putin discussed with Witkoff about a resolution to end Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Moscow has long insisted that it wants any deal to recognise its control over Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014, and four other regions of eastern Ukraine: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
There are indications that it may be willing to soften that demand.
As the Europeans understand Putin’s proposal, he is asking for Russian control over Crimea and the entire Donbas region of Ukraine, including Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, which covers terrain that Russia does not control.
In return, he would agree to a ceasefire that would freeze the current battle lines elsewhere, including around Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian troops also control some territory.
The Ukrainians want a ceasefire before discussing territorial issues.
And Ukraine is not prepared to hand over territory Russia does not currently occupy, as Zelenskyy made clear on Saturday, and under international law rejects any permanent loss of sovereign Ukrainian territory.
The Europeans are concerned that Trump and Putin will forge an agreement on their own that they will then try to impose on Ukraine.
They are trying to emphasise to Trump that Ukraine must be at the table and that the days of Yalta, when US and Russian leaders divided up Europe, are long gone, according to the two European officials.
“Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media yesterday, after telephone calls with Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany.
“Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as it concerns their security,” Macron added.
The American and European approaches to the Ukrainian war and the war in the Gaza Strip have diverged sharply in recent weeks as Trump and Witkoff seek rapid solutions to intractable problems that both have larger regional consequences.
Trump briefed European leaders after Witkoff’s meeting in Moscow with Putin. At that time, Trump described the outline of Putin’s proposal, including the idea of land swaps, causing consternation among European officials.
Trump was short on details of Putin’s offer, but indicated, the two senior European officials said, that the proposed swap would include Russian control over the entire Donbas region.
Luhansk is occupied by Russia, but not all of Donetsk is. Russia has claimed to annex both regions regardless, a move that has been dismissed as a sham by the Western allies.
Since Thursday the Europeans and Ukrainians have tried to get clarity on the Putin proposal, but confusion persists.
In particular, it remains unclear what would happen in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Would the battle lines there remain frozen? Or is Putin holding to his original position and demanding that Ukraine hand those areas over, too, including a critical nuclear power plant that Russia currently occupies?
The Europeans have committed to the defence of a sovereign, independent Ukraine and see Russia as a major strategic threat to themselves.
So the Russian proposal — and the risk that Trump and Putin would come up with a deal that they would then try to force on Zelenskyy — has led to European efforts to ensure their views are heard by Washington before the summit meeting this week in Alaska.
They also are pushing hard for Zelenskyy to be included in a quick follow-up meeting with Trump and Putin, which the Russians have so far rejected.
The Europeans also want a seat at the table, though that is considered unlikely.
Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been consulting with European counterparts to discuss the upcoming summit, including in a telephone call on Saturday.
This past week, Rubio said, without going into details, that the Russian offer at least made clear Moscow’s terms for a settlement, and one that did not necessarily include full victory over all of Ukraine. But he implied that Ukraine would have to give up territory for a deal.
European leaders like Merz have praised Trump’s efforts to attain a ceasefire in Ukraine. They have also encouraged him, without much success, to put more economic pressure on Putin, who believes he is winning the war.
The Europeans believe that Putin, isolated on the world stage, values the symbolic display of a summit between Washington and Moscow, but that while he is interested in sanctions relief, he sees no need to make significant concessions.
And they are concerned that too many concessions to Russia will only feed its appetite for more, especially in the Baltics.
“If borders can be changed by force, none are safe,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on social media
He added: “Sovereignty and territorial integrity are the cornerstones of global stability. We will not reward aggression — not in Ukraine, not anywhere.”
Ukraine, he said, “can count on our unwavering support in achieving a just and lasting peace”.
The Europeans have also been instrumental in advising Zelenskyy on how to stay on Trump’s good side, especially after the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office in February when Trump and Vance excoriated him, saying he did not appreciate US efforts to help Ukraine.
“You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said. “With us, you start having cards.”
Zelenskyy then apologised and said he would support Trump’s proposals for a ceasefire, which Putin had regularly rejected.
European countries have committed themselves to providing Ukraine effective security guarantees after any settlement, including working with Ukraine’s armed forces to help them to deter any future Russian aggression. A resolution to this war would have to come first.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Steven Erlanger
Photographs by: Tyler Hicks
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