Worried about being sidelined at an upcoming summit meeting between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, European and Ukrainian leaders quickly assembled on Saturday outside London with top American officials to both understand Mr. Putin’s position and to ensure Mr. Trump understands what is at stake.
The meeting was co-hosted by Foreign Secretary David Lammy of Britain and Vice President JD Vance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced. It included senior officials from Ukraine and Europe. Mr. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met with Mr. Putin last week, was scheduled to dial in virtually.
The Europeans are trying to get firsthand information about what Mr. Putin discussed with Mr. Witkoff about a resolution to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
As the Europeans understand Mr. Putin’s proposal, he is demanding Russian control over the entire Donbas region of Ukraine, including both Luhansk and Donetsk Provinces, and including areas that Russia does not currently control. In return, he would agree to a cease-fire that would freeze the current battle lines elsewhere, including around Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian troops also control some territory.
The Ukrainians want a cease-fire first, and then will be prepared to discuss territorial compromises. But Ukraine is not prepared to hand over territory Russia does not currently occupy, as President Volodymyr Zelensky made clear on Saturday, and rejects any permanent loss of sovereign Ukrainian territory under international law.
The Europeans are concerned that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin will come to an agreement on their own that they will then try to impose on Ukraine. They are trying to emphasize to Mr. Trump that Ukraine must be at the table and that the days of Yalta, when American and Russian leaders divided up Europe, are long gone, two European officials who attended the meeting said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
Mr. Trump briefed European leaders on Wednesday evening after Mr. Witkoff’s meeting in Moscow with Mr. Putin. At that time, Mr. Trump described the outline of Mr. Putin’s proposal, including the idea of land swaps, causing consternation among European officials. Mr. Trump was short on details of Mr. Putin’s offer, but indicated, the two senior European officials said, that the swap proposed would include Russian control over the entire Donbas region.
Luhansk is occupied by Russia, but not all of Donetsk is. Russia has claimed to annex both regions regardless. Moscow has long insisted that it wants any deal to recognize its control over Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014, and four other regions of eastern Ukraine: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Since Wednesday, the Europeans and Ukrainians have tried to get clarity on the Putin proposal, but confusion persists. In particular, it is unclear what would happen in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Would the battle lines there remain frozen? Or is Mr. Putin also demanding that Ukraine hand those areas over, too, including a critical nuclear power plant that Russia currently occupies, in some form of land swap?
The Europeans have committed to the defense of a sovereign, independent Ukraine and see Russia as a major strategic threat to themselves. So the Russian proposal — and the risk that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin would come up with a deal that they would then try to force on Mr. Zelensky — has led to European efforts to ensure their views are heard by Washington before the meeting between the two leaders next week in Alaska.
They also are pushing hard for Mr. Zelensky to be included in a quick follow-up meeting with Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, which the Russians have so far rejected. The Europeans also want a seat at the table, though that is considered unlikely. Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been consulting with European counterparts to discuss the upcoming summit, including in a telephone call on Friday.
This past week, Mr. Rubio said, without going into details, that the Russian offer at least made clear Moscow’s terms for a settlement, and one that did not necessarily include full victory over all of Ukraine. But he implied that Ukraine would have to give up territory for a deal.
“Anytime you’re going to make a deal, there will have to be concessions,” Mr. Rubio said. Since becoming secretary of state, he has said Ukraine will need to make territorial concessions — particularly over regions held by Russia since 2014 — for any peace deal to materialize.
European leaders like Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany have praised Mr. Trump’s efforts to attain a cease-fire in Ukraine. They have also encouraged him, without much success, to put more economic pressure on Mr. Putin, who believes he is winning the war. The Europeans believe that Mr. Putin would like the display of a summit between Washington and Moscow, as in the old days, and that while he is interested in sanctions relief, he sees no need to make significant concessions.
But they are concerned that too many concessions to Russia will only feed its appetite for more, especially in the Baltics.
“If borders can be changed by force, none are safe,” said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna of Estonia on Saturday in a post on X. “Sovereignty and territorial integrity are the cornerstones of global stability. We will not reward aggression — not in Ukraine, not anywhere.”
Ukraine, he said, “can count on our unwavering support in achieving a just and lasting peace.”
The Europeans have also been instrumental in advising Mr. Zelensky on how to stay on Mr. Trump’s good side, especially after the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office in February when Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance excoriated him, saying he did not appreciate U.S. efforts to help Ukraine. “You don’t have the cards right now,” Mr. Trump said. “With us, you start having cards.”
Mr. Zelensky then apologized and said he would support Mr. Trump’s proposals for a cease-fire, which Mr. Putin had regularly rejected. Until now.
European countries have committed themselves to providing Ukraine effective security guarantees after any settlement, including working with Ukraine’s armed forces to help them be able to deter any future Russian aggression. But a resolution to this war would have to come first.