The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to all who stand with Ukraine today. President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the European leaders’ statement regarding the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
European Leaders Issued a Statement Before the Trump‑Putin Meeting
“The path to peace cannot be negotiated without Ukraine,” the European leaders declared before the Trump‑Putin meeting. (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/donald-trump#anchorLink) The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Finland issued a statement expressing support for the U.S. president’s diplomatic efforts to end the war. “We are convinced that a combination of active diplomacy, support for Ukraine, and pressure on the Russian Federation to end its illegal war can succeed. We support these efforts, but we also maintain military and financial support for Ukraine through the Coalition of the Willing and sanctions against Russia,” the statement read. On Sunday morning, President Zelensky referenced the statement. “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to all who stand today on the side of Ukraine and our nation in the name of peace in Ukraine, which defends the vital security interests of our European peoples,” he wrote. He added that Ukraine values the statement of European leaders.
Unofficially: Zelensky Will Not Attend at Putin’s Request
On August 15, a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place in the U.S. state of Alaska. It will be their first meeting since Trump assumed the presidency again. Reuters, citing a White House official, reported that the U.S. president is open to a trilateral meeting – with Volodymyr Zelensky – but at Putin’s request the meeting will be bilateral. Earlier, NBC News reported that the White House was considering inviting Zelensky to Alaska.
Russian Demands
An anonymous White House representative, referenced by NBC News, said that Russians presented a list of demands regarding a potential ceasefire in the Ukraine war and that Washington seeks to secure support from Ukrainians and European allies. On Friday, Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine might be forced to cede part of its territory to end the more than three‑year war. “This is very complicated. We will recover some parts, we will trade others. There will be a territory exchange, benefiting both sides,” Trump said, without specifying details. CBS News reports that the White House is trying to persuade European leaders to accept an agreement under which the Russians would take all of Donbas and retain Crimea, but would relinquish claims to the Chernyakhiv and Zaporizhzhia regions that they partially occupy.
