Ukraine: European leaders react to Trump-Putin summit

During the Alaska summit, US President Donald Trump hand-delivered a letter written by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The first lady's office on Saturday reposted an article by US broadcaster Fox News containing the short letter, one day after the high-stakes meeting yielded no tangible results. 

In the letter, Melania Trump pleaded with Putin to make peace in the name of the children, without mentioning Ukraine by name.

"In today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them," read the letter.

Melania said that Putin could help these children with the stroke of a pen.

"Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today," the letter read. "It is time."

According to Fox News, Putin read the letter immediately after Trump gave it to him, while delegations from both countries looked on.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reposted a joint statement by the leaders of eight Nordic and Baltic states on social media late Saturday.

"All the points mentioned are important to achieve a truly sustainable and reliable peace," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

The leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania stated in a joint declaration that "experience has shown that Putin cannot be trusted," adding that it is "Russia's responsibility to end its blatant violations of international law."

Zelenskyy stressed that Russia rebuffs several calls for a ceasefire and "has not yet determined when it will stop the killing."

He added that stopping the killing is crucial to stopping the war.

The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday. 

"It is important that everyone agrees there needs to be a conversation at the level of leaders to clarify all the details and determine which steps are necessary and will work," Zelenskyy said. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has subtly criticized US President Donald Trump’s organization of the Alaska summit, implying it inadvertently boosted the stature of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD late Saturday, Merz said that Trump moved "within the line we discussed together. And I think that is good progress from last night — despite the one or two disturbing images we may have seen."

He also noted: "The press in Russia is jubilant. A little less would have been enough."

Merz does not appear to rule out the idea of Ukraine ceding territory, but he stressed that  "no territorial concessions before there is a peace treaty."

He added that the treaty would also need to mark the point at which security guarantees for Ukraine come into effect.

Efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine continue on Monday, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected at the White House to meet with Trump after coordinating with key European allies.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine as a precondition for further talks with Moscow.

"Of course, the very first prerequisite for everything else is that the ceasefire comes quickly," Wadephul told Germany's ARD public broadcaster.

However, he said that Berlin still viewed recent talks between the US and Russia positively despite the lack of a ceasefire agreement.

"Every conversation that is held to finally bring this war to an end is a good conversation and is a conversation that we support," the minister said.

US President Donald Trump's red carpet treatment for Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a Friday press conference in Anchorage, Alaska is something the Europeans will have to "swallow," Wadephul said.

The minister said that European officials will decide this weekend whether to accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his visit to Washington on Monday to meet with Trump.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday hailed US President Donald Trump's leadership for "creating the opportunity to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine."

"Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace," Carney said in a statement, welcoming the US' "openness" to providing such security guarantees.

"Canada is coordinating closely with President Zelenskyy and our partners in the Coalition of the Willing to intensify our steadfast support for Ukraine and our shared commitment to its peace and security," he added.

A red carpet for Vladimir Putin and no results for Ukraine.

The Alaska summit, which many had pinned high hopes on, turned out to be a complete disappointment from the perspective of many Ukrainians. 

DW spoke to several Ukrainian analysts and politicians, who argued the summit mostly served Russia's Putin.

The leaders of eight Nordic and Baltic states have issued a joint statement following the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said they "remain steadfast" in their support for Ukraine. 

They also said they support all efforts, including those by Trump, "to end the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine." 

"Experience has shown that Putin cannot be trusted," the leaders said, adding that it is "Russia's responsibility to end its blatant violations of international law."

During their meeting in Alaska, Putin said he had discussed with Trump "the root causes" of the conflict, referring to Ukraine's ambitions of joining NATO and the European Union.

But the Nordic and Baltic joint statement countered that "Russia's aggression and imperialist ambitions are the root causes of this war."
 
They called for a ceasefire that would lead to a "just and lasting peace," and insisted that Ukraine and its European allies be involved in any talks to end the war.

"No decisions on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decisions on Europe without Europe," the statement said.

They also called for "credible security guarantees for Ukraine," pointing out that any peace agreement "needs firm and concrete commitments by transatlantic partners to safeguard Ukraine against any future aggression."

"No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with other countries," they said, adding that they will "continue to arm Ukraine and enhance Europe's defences to deter further Russian aggression." 

Russia President Vladimir Putin has said his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska was "timely and very useful."

Putin made the remarks during a televised meeting of senior officials in the Kremlin. 

"I would like to immediately note that the visit was timely and very useful," he said, according to Russian state media TASS. 

Putin described his conversation with Trump, which lasted around two and a half hours, as "sincere" and "substantive."

He said the talks had provided an opportunity to "calmly and in detail once again set out" Russia's stance regarding the war in Ukraine, which escalated when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. 

According to TASS, Putin also said Moscow respects "the position of the American administration," which the Russian president said "sees the need for a speedy end to military actions."

"We would also like this and would like to move to resolving all issues by peaceful means," Putin added.

European allies are trying to underscore the importance of security guarantees to the US president as he seeks an agreement between Ukraine and Russia and not an unconditional ceasefire. 

French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need to continue supporting Ukraine "and to maintain pressure on Russia," as long as Moscow continues its war of aggression. 

"Any lasting peace must be accompanied by unwavering security guarantees," Macron posted on X. "I welcome, in this regard, the readiness of the United States to contribute. We will work on this with them and with all our partners in the Coalition of the Willing, with whom we will meet again soon, to make concrete progress."

The so-called coalition of the willing is a grouping of some 30 countries – mostly European – who intend to offer their support to monitor any future peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. 

The French presidency said the coalition will meet on Sunday via video conference before President Zelenskyy's travel to Washington. DC. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to join. 

Ukrainians kept a close eye on the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, but many were fearful, more than hopeful, about the outcome.

The US and Russian leaders met in Alaska to discuss Russia's more than three-year invasion of its neighbor.

But they made no breakthrough, despite proclamations from Trump for several months that he could bring an end to the conflict.

"I saw the results I expected. I think this is a great diplomatic victory for Putin," Pavlo Nebroev, a 38-year-old theater manager, told the French news agency AFP. "He has completely legitimized himself."

Trump inviting Putin to the US ended the West's shunning of the Russian leader ever since he sent troops into Ukraine for a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not invited. He described the meeting with Trump as Putin's "personal victory."

Olya Donik, 36, told AFP she was not surprised by the lack of an outcome in Alaska. 

"It ended with nothing. Alright, let's continue living our lives here in Ukraine," she said. 

Hours after the talks, Ukraine said Russia attacked with 85 drones and a ballistic missile. 

"Whether there are talks or not, Kharkiv is being shelled almost every day. Kharkiv definitely doesn't feel any change," Iryna Derkach, a 50-year-old photographer, told AFP.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the United States was ready to help provide "security guarantees" to Kyiv.

"Security guarantees are now on the table," he said.

"The good news is that the United States is ready to participate in such security guarantees [and] isn't leaving it to the Europeans," he said. "But the Europeans must also contribute."

Trump had in the past insisted that a US-Ukraine rare minerals deal would constitute sufficient security guarantees, an argument disputed by both Ukraine and European allies.

Merz insisted that there would be continued cooperation between Washington and European allies on Ukraine.

"Over the last few days, we have managed to keep the Europeans and Americans together," Merz stressed.

He said that US President Donald Trump had "extensively" informed Germany about his talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Merz added that the information went "far beyond" what was said in Putin and Trump's joint press conference on Friday.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany will host a video call on Sunday involving the Ukrainian allies in a "coalition of the willing" to discuss steps toward peace, the French presidency said on Saturday.

The meeting will be coordinated by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The online gathering will come a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to Washington, DC to meet Donald Trump after the latter's summit with Russia's Putin in Alaska.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday spoke of "successes" in "defending our positions along the entire front line."

"I received a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "The front, the defense of positions, and up-to-date information on the intentions and movements of the Russian army. We are defending our positions along the entire front line, and for the second day in a row, we have achieved successes in some extremely difficult areas in the Donetsk region – in the direction of Dobropillia and Pokrovsk."

Zelenskyy added that Ukrainian authorities were documenting Russian forces' movement and preparations.

"Based on the political and diplomatic situation around Ukraine, and knowing Russia’s treachery, we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favorable political circumstances for talks with global actors," Zelenskyy said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has praised US President Donald Trump for his work toward ending the conflict in Ukraine following the US-Russia summit in Alaska.

"President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended," Starmer said.

"I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from coming back for more," he added.

"In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions ... Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes."

Starmer also insisted that the "path to peace in Ukraine" cannot be decided without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Britain is one of the countries that has said it would be willing to put troops in Ukraine as part of any peacekeeping force monitoring a cease-fire in Ukraine, should one be established.

 

Russia does not intended to end its war in Ukraine "anytime soon," making it essential for the US to continue using its power to force Moscow to the negotiating table, according to the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. 

"President [Donald] Trump’s resolve to get a peace deal is vital ... Putin continues to drag out negotiations and hopes he gets away with it. He left [the Alaskan capital] Anchorage without making any commitments," Kallas said in a statement.

"The US holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the US," she added.