European leaders to US, Russia: ‘No Peace Without Ukraine’
KYIV—Days before an announced meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Europe’s top leaders declared that there can be no peace deal on Ukraine without Kyiv at the table.
In a joint statement published on Sunday on the official website of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, heads of state and senior ministers from across the continent insisted that the war’s end cannot be dictated on Kyiv.
“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,” the leaders declared after a closed-door huddle at Chevening House in the United Kingdom.
Signatories
The statement was signed by French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
They insisted that “international borders must not be changed by force. The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”
In comments to reporters at the White House on Aug. 8, before his post confirming the Alaska meeting, Trump suggested that any agreement would likely involve “some swapping of territories,” but he gave no details.
‘Swapping territories’
“We’re going to get some [territory] back. We’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both,”
Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed.
Trump has said that he is “open” to a trilateral meeting in Alaska with Putin and—possibly—Zelensky. White House officials say the Ukrainian leader hasn’t been invited yet, but his attendance is “absolutely possible.”
For Europe, “possible” is not enough. The leaders stressed that the current front lines should not be the basis for permanent borders, rejecting any settlement that might legitimize Russia’s gains.
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy bristled at suggestions that Ukraine might be asked to give up territory in exchange for peace.
“Ukraine will never trade its land for peace,” he told reporters, calling such an idea “dangerous not only for our country but for the entire world.”
Illegitimate
He warned that talks without Ukraine’s full participation would be illegitimate and could fracture Western unity against Russian aggression.
“Any decisions that are against us, any decisions without Ukraine are decisions against peace… These are dead solutions,” Zelenskyy said in a video message.
Still, sources close to Kyiv say the Ukrainian president is weighing his options in attending the meeting.
While wary of becoming a “prop” in a US–Russia stage play, he knows that not being there could carry its own risks—especially if the summit produces an unexpected breakthrough.
For now, Europe’s position is clear: “We will not support any settlement that rewards the illegal use of force,” the joint statement vowed, pledging continued military, economic and reconstruction aid to Ukraine.
The European leaders said that any deal on Ukraine would affect the continent as a whole.
“We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” they said.
“We agree that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
