Britain’s analysts describe the European leaders’ mood before the Friday Trump‑Putin summit as uneasy, seeing the new phone talks with EU leaders, the UK prime minister and the U.S. president as a last chance to sway Donald Trump and keep Russia from gaining too much advantage.
Comments on the Trump‑Putin Meeting
“This is a team meeting. But does the U.S. agree with the rest of its members?” asks a European Sky News correspondent. The correspondent writes about leaders’ unease that Russia might outsmart Trump, for instance by restoring normal trade relations. These talks are internal team discussions or perhaps a reminder to American leaders on which side they stand, writes Siobhan Robbins. However, she warns that it is not always clear whether Trump and Vance play by the same rules for Ukraine and its allies.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the US: Meeting with Putin Is a Mistake
BBC correspondent James Waterhouse stresses that for Europe this is the last opportunity before Friday to influence the American president’s line of thought. He adds that European leaders’ current position is weak. “The Times already looks forward to Friday and the Trump‑Putin summit,” he says. The paper interviews a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who judges the meeting idea as a mistake. John Herbst believes that in recent weeks Washington has begun effectively pressuring Moscow only to abandon it later and give President Putin direct access to Donald Trump again.
Conference of European Leaders and the US President
Before the Friday‑week Wednesday meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin, a video conference of European leaders is being arranged. The German Chancellor invited EU leaders—including Donald Tusk—as well as the presidents of Ukraine and the United States. Friedrich Merz also sent invitations to the NATO Secretary‑General. The European Union is represented by the president of the Commission and the president of the European Council. The British Prime Minister is expected to attend, and EU members invited include premiers and presidents of Poland, Finland, France and Italy. The Chancellor announced that the talks aim to exert further pressure on Russia, and also to prepare for possible peace negotiations, with the hardest issues being territorial claims and security guarantees.
Merz: We Cannot Accept This
European leaders want to ensure that Europe’s expectations are clear during the Trump‑Putin meeting. “We cannot accept that European security will continue to be threatened by Russia,” says Friedrich Merz at the beginning of the week, emphasizing that no peace rewarding Russia for its aggression and encouraging further attacks will be effective. He stresses that no effective peace agreements in Europe will materialize without the participation of Ukraine and other European states.
