US President Trump praised European leaders before a virtual meeting on the Ukraine war. He will speak with European leaders to ensure their positions are heard.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of Alaska summit, saying that Moscow will face “very severe” consequences if it doesn’t get answers from him.
Earlier today, he said that he’d had a “very good call” with European leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We had a very good call. He was on the call — President Zelenskyy was on the call. I would rate it at 10. You know — very, very friendly,” he told reporters during an event at Washington’s Kennedy Center.
The US President further said that he wants to hold a “quick second” meeting with Putin and Zelensky after the Alaska summit.
During the conference call, Zelenskyy and his European allies urged Trump to support Kyiv and push for a ceasefire when he meets Putin.
A stepped-up Russian offensive, and the fact Zelenskyy has not been invited to the Anchorage meeting Friday, have heightened fears that Trump and Putin could strike a deal that forces painful concessions on Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting, he praised European leaders as ‘great people’ ahead of his virtual meeting over Ukraine war.
In a short post on his platform Truth Social, Trump said, “Will be speaking to European Leaders in a short while. They are great people who want to see a deal done.”
According to the German government, the talks aimed to ensure that Europe’s and Ukraine’s positions are heard ahead of the August 15 meeting between the US and Russian Presidents in Alaska.
Earlier today, Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin for the virtual meet. Although many leaders, including Trump, will join via video conference, Zelenskyy has traveled to the German capital for the summit and will give a statement alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following the talks.
Merz has organised a series of virtual meetings involving leaders from Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland, the European Union, and NATO. The agenda includes Ukraine’s concerns about being excluded from direct participation in the US-Russia talks, as well as efforts to present a united European stance.
The final round of discussions will include members of the “coalition of the willing,” countries prepared to help enforce any future peace agreement.
