Trump, Zelensky, and Europe Unite Ahead of High-Stakes Alaska Summit with Putin

With just days to go before U.S. President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, the diplomatic chessboard is already shifting. A high-level virtual meeting today brought together Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and top European leaders in a bid to forge a united front, and ensure the Alaska summit delivers more than just headlines.

Speaking alongside Zelensky after the call, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz summed up Europe’s mindset in one sentence: “We are doing everything we can to make sure this meeting goes the right way.”

The virtual summit was more than a symbolic show of solidarity. It was a strategy session. According to Zelensky, the discussion focused on two essential conditions for peace:

A ceasefire first — before any other agreements.
Real security guarantees — not just promises on paper.

Trump, according to both Zelensky and European leaders, expressed his support for those priorities.

French President Emmanuel Macron went further, stressing that any talk of territorial concessions must happen with Ukraine in the room. “Any territorial exchange in Ukraine must only be discussed with Ukraine,” Macron said, adding that it’s “a good thing” Russia and the U.S. are talking, but Europe must be “heard.”

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The Territory Question That Won’t Go Away

The territorial issue has been a minefield for weeks. Trump recently hinted that a ceasefire deal could involve “some swapping of territories”, a suggestion swiftly rejected by both Kyiv and Moscow.

According to U.S. officials, Putin’s offer to halt the war includes Ukraine giving up the entire eastern Donbas region. Zelensky has been unequivocal: Donbas is not up for negotiation. “If we give them Donbas, Putin will start a third war,” he warned. Today, Zelensky doubled down, saying that questions of Ukraine’s territorial integrity “cannot be discussed just like that” and must be decided “with the will of our people.”

Behind the scenes, European leaders are quietly signaling that if Alaska produces nothing, the economic screws could tighten again on Russia. One official hinted that secondary sanctions, especially targeting nations that buy Russian energy, could be back on the table. They noted that Trump’s recent 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil seemed to have an effect, even though he stopped short of slapping similar duties on China, Moscow’s biggest energy customer.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte made the stakes clear: “The ball is now in Putin’s court.”

Trump Hints at a Possible Second Meeting — With Zelensky in the Room

While Friday’s Alaska summit will be a one-on-one between Trump and Putin (with only translators present), the U.S. president floated the idea of a follow-up meeting that could happen “almost immediately”, this time with Zelensky at the table.

“The first meeting is to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” Trump told reporters. “If it goes OK, the second will be more productive.” Asked if it was his decision to exclude Zelensky from Friday’s meeting, Trump responded, “No, just the opposite,” insisting that the aim is to set the stage for direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents.

In one of his most direct warnings yet, Trump promised “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin refuses to agree to end the war. When pressed on whether that meant more sanctions or tariffs, Trump was coy: “I don’t have to say. There will be very severe consequences.” The statement is consistent with his earlier threats to impose new penalties on Moscow if it ignored his deadline to come to the negotiating table, a deadline that passed without action last week, likely due to the upcoming summit.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called today’s virtual summit “very good,” noting that Europe, the U.S., and NATO have “strengthened common ground for Ukraine.” Whether that unity translates into concrete results this Friday depends on what’s said, and agreed, behind closed doors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

One thing is certain: when Trump and Putin sit down in Alaska, the world won’t just be watching for handshakes and headlines, it will be listening for signs of a ceasefire, and the first real steps toward ending Europe’s deadliest war in decades.