German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is convening an emergency meeting of European leaders ahead of the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska this week.
A spokesperson for the German government confirmed on Monday that President Donald Trump will be included in the call, which is expected to touch on how to put pressure on the Kremlin and the future of Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be on the call. The leader has been leading the European charge to block Trump from making land concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia is dragging out the war, and therefore it deserves stronger global pressure. Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits,” Zelensky wrote in a statement on Monday.
He continued, “And this is not just a moral position – it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer. But truly strong protection of life stops the killers.”
Zelensky’s posture was spurred by comments Trump made while announcing the meeting with Putin. The U.S. president said land could be exchanged between Russia and Ukraine for a hypothetical peace deal.
“You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three and a half years with — you know, a lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians have died,” Trump said. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Zelensky has been adamant since the Trump-Putin summit was announced last week that no peace deal can be finalized without Ukrainian input and approval. His government is afraid that the White House’s desire to wrap up the three-year conflict quickly could lead it to suggest terms that would compromise Ukraine’s future.
“Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,” Zelensky said in a video address not long after the summit was announced. “They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions. They will never work.”
Europe is backing this position, and is equally panicked about the outcome of Trump’s sit-down with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Countries such as Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Finland, Poland, and more will be involved in Merz’s summit on Wednesday. Representatives from the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the European Council will also attend virtually.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas previously stated that “international law is clear” on the issue: “all temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine.”
The Kremlin is taking a positive tone about the Trump-Putin meeting, including its geographic location.
“Russia and the U.S. are close neighbors, sharing a border,” Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told the press after the meeting was announced. “It seems logical for our delegation to simply fly across the Bering Strait and for such an important and anticipated summit to take place in Alaska.”
GRAHAM ECHOES TRUMP ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE ‘LAND SWAPS’ THAT ZELENSKY REJECTED
However, Russian leadership has used similar charm offensives to waste the White House’s time since Trump began his second term, suggesting diplomatic breakthroughs were on the horizon without following through on holding negotiations.
Trump previously voiced outrage at the tactic, accusing the Kremlin of “tapping [the administration along.”