European leaders insist Kyiv must be part of any peace talks with Russia
Key European allies have reaffirmed that Ukraine must be directly involved in any negotiations to end the war with Russia, warning that decisions made without Kyiv would undermine peace and security across the continent.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday night, the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission declared that “international borders must not be changed by force” and vowed to continue supporting Ukraine militarily, diplomatically, and financially.
The move comes ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
While the White House has floated the idea of a trilateral meeting that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the talks remain, for now, a bilateral Trump-Putin engagement at Moscow’s request.
Zelensky has made clear that Ukraine will not accept any settlement negotiated in its absence.
“Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace,” he said, responding to Trump’s suggestion that “territorial swaps” might be part of a future deal.
Reports from U.S. media suggest Washington is trying to persuade European capitals to accept an agreement that would leave Russia in control of Crimea and the entire Donbas region. European leaders, however, have stressed that Ukraine alone has the right to decide its future.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe cannot be sidelined. “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake,” he posted on X.
On Sunday, Zelensky thanked European leaders for their stance, saying the end of the war “must be fair” and that Ukraine is “defending the vital security interests of our European nations.”
The Alaska summit, the first face-to-face meeting between a sitting U.S. and Russian president since 2021, takes place as the war enters its fourth year.
Moscow currently occupies significant parts of eastern Ukraine but has failed to deliver a decisive military breakthrough, while Ukrainian offensives have struggled to reclaim lost territory.
Ukraine’s allies insist that any diplomatic solution must guarantee the country’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and that Kyiv must have a seat at the table when those decisions are made.
European leaders insist Kyiv must be part of any peace talks with Russia
