Zelenskyy, European leaders express cautious optimism after Trump call ahead of Putin meeting

german language premier Friedrich Merz says European leaders and Ukrainian chairwoman Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a "constructive" give-and-take with U.S. Chairman Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days ahead of Trump's planned meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking alongside Zelenskyy, Merz said after the video conference that "important decisions" could be made in Anchorage, but stressed that "fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected" at the meeting.

"If the United States of America now work towards peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, [Trump] can count on our full support in this endeavour," said Merz.

Merz convened a series of virtual meetings for Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine's leaders heard ahead of the summit, which is reportedly taking place at a U.S. Military installation. 

Zelenskyy and the leaders of European countries have all been sidelined from that summit. 

When Zelenskyy last visited Berlin in late May, Merz pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems, which would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on use and targets.

The Ukrainian president continued to express doubt about Putin's desire to end the war, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.  

"He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine," said Zelenskyy.

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Zelenskyy said additional sanctions on Russia — which Trump has been reluctant to apply — are needed to hit "Russia's war economy hard."

Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, which is now in its fourth year.

"It's going to be a very important meeting," Trump said in Washington on Wednesday. "But it's setting the table for the second meeting — if the second meeting takes place."

Trump replied to a reporter's question that there would be "severe consequences" for Russia if Putin did not appear serious about negotiating an end to the conflict, but wouldn't comment on what form that would take.

Yet Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He has also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.

European allies have pushed for Ukraine's involvement in any peace talks, fearful discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favour Moscow.

Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Trump said that following Friday's summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with "Putin and Zelenskyy and me."

The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia's energy might to try to intimidate the European Union, might secure favourable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.

The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next.

Macron said Trump was prioritizing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. He added that Trump had been clear that "territorial issues relating to Ukraine ... Will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president."

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30 per cent of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.

He has said diplomatic discussions led by the U.S. Focusing on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations.

Three weeks after Trump returned to office, his administration took the leverage of Ukraine's NATO membership off the table — something Putin has demanded — and signalled that the EU and Ukraine must handle security in Europe now while America focuses its attention elsewhere.

Senior EU officials believe Trump may be satisfied with simply securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, and is probably more interested in broader U.S. Geostrategic interests and great power politics, aiming to ramp up business with Russia and rehabilitate Putin. The White House struck an investment deal with Ukraine for future mineral extraction, and has recently leaned on European countries to provide military aid to Ukraine through deals with U.S. Weapons providers.

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Russian forces on the ground have been closing in on key territory around the city of Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donbas region, a part of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland that Putin has long coveted.

Military analysts using open-source information to monitor the battles have said Ukraine's ability to fend off those advances could be critical. Losing Pokrovsk would hand Russia an important victory ahead of the summit and could complicate Ukrainian supply lines to the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has focused the bulk of military efforts.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces struck an oil pumping station in Russia's Bryansk region overnight on Wednesday, according to a statement from Ukraine's General Staff. Drones struck the Unecha station, which supplies the Russian army, the statement said, adding that damage and a large fire was reported in the area around the pumping station.

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