【By Observer News, Chen Sijia】 U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin will hold a meeting on August 15 local time, but this meeting has raised concerns from Europe and Ukraine, who are worried that Trump may ask Ukraine to give up its territory. According to Reuters on August 13, European and Ukrainian leaders are pressuring Trump to prevent him from "sacrificing Ukraine's interests".

The report said that European countries are concerned that Trump and Putin might make far-reaching decisions at the summit held in Alaska, United States, even forcing Ukraine to accept an unfavorable agreement. Therefore, European and Ukrainian leaders put pressure on Trump during an online meeting on the afternoon of August 13, hoping he would understand the danger of "sacrificing Kyiv's interests."

This video conference was chaired by German Chancellor Merkel, which took place at 12:00 GMT (20:00 Beijing Time) on August 13, with Trump, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, as well as leaders of Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, and the EU attending the meeting. Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin by plane on the afternoon of August 13 local time and attended the meeting together with Merkel.

BBC reported that Merkel stated after the meeting that Europe is doing everything it can to help Trump set the agenda for the U.S.-Russia leaders' summit, "European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected in Alaska." He believed that Ukraine must participate in the peace negotiations and that a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia should be reached first before discussing a long-term peace agreement.

Merkel said that Europe cannot legally recognize Russia's ownership of Ukrainian land, "There must be strong security guarantees and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty." He said that if Russia is unwilling to achieve peace, Europe and the United States will "have to exert greater pressure on Putin." Finally, Merkel expressed his wish for Trump's success in the meeting in Alaska.

Zelenskyy said that everyone hopes Ukraine can restore peace, "Everything about Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine - we must be part of the dialogue. Trump supports us today, and the U.S. is ready to support us." He revealed that Trump had promised to call him after the U.S.-Russia leaders' meeting on the 15th.

Zelenskyy said that after this video conference, he was optimistic about the future, and Ukraine's partners showed "the same voice, the same goal." He said that he would not call the upcoming "Putin-Trump" meeting a "historic moment," and he would wait for the results of the meeting.

In addition, French President Macron also said after the meeting that the issue of Ukraine's territory "can only be discussed with Ukraine." Macron believes that the contact between Russia and the U.S. is a good thing, but in terms of issues affecting the European continent, Europe's voice "needs to be heard." He also said that Trump will "strive" to hold a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine, which may take place in Europe.

On August 13, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Merkel participated in a video conference. Reuters

Previously, Trump had always been dissatisfied with Putin, accusing him of not being willing to reach a ceasefire. But last week, Trump changed his stance, agreeing to hold the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021. Trump recently also claimed that both Russia and Ukraine must cede territory to end the conflict between them.

Several senior European officials told Reuters that they saw the risk of a U.S.-Russia agreement that would be detrimental to European and Ukrainian security. If such an agreement were to happen, European unity would be crucial. An Eastern European senior official said, "We are now focusing on ensuring that this does not happen - contacting with American partners, maintaining coordination and unity within Europe. There is still a lot of time until Friday (15th)."

European leaders are trying to avoid angering Trump, repeatedly emphasizing their welcome of Trump's peace efforts. They also emphasized that no agreements regarding Ukraine should be made without Ukraine's participation.

A source familiar with internal U.S. discussions told Reuters that it cannot be ruled out that Trump could bypass Ukraine and the EU and directly reach an agreement with Putin. However, the source doubted this, saying it could cause problems in Ukraine and the EU.

The American website "Politico" analyzed that European countries are currently the largest source of military and financial support for Ukraine and hold billions of euros in frozen Russian assets, which are essential for any long-term peace solution. Therefore, Trump would find it difficult to ignore European opinions.

Except for Hungary, 26 out of 27 EU countries issued a statement on the afternoon of August 12, expressing "welcome to President Trump's efforts to end the conflict", while emphasizing that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine." The statement said, "International borders must not be changed by force."

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kallas, said after the emergency meeting of European foreign ministers on the 11th that no concessions should be discussed before Russia agrees to a full ceasefire. Kallas said in a statement, "The sequence of steps is important, first of all, an unconditional ceasefire, with a strong monitoring mechanism and ironclad security guarantees."

Regarding the prospects of the U.S.-Russia leaders' meeting, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levet said on August 12 at a press conference that the summit would be a "listening exercise" for Trump to understand how to end the conflict. Levet said that the U.S. could not give any specific expectations and emphasized that any agreement must include Ukraine's participation.

A Gallup survey released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians support ending the war as soon as possible through negotiations. However, the survey also showed that Ukrainians are not willing to "go to any lengths" for peace if it means "disastrous concessions."

Zelenskyy has stated that it is impossible to agree to a deal that requires Ukraine to withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, which has been controlled by Russian forces. Zelenskyy said that withdrawing troops would destroy Ukraine's large defense network in the Donbas region, paving the way for future Russian attacks. He added that territorial issues could only be discussed after a ceasefire is implemented and Ukraine receives security assurances.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on August 12 that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov had spoken by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio that day to discuss some related issues regarding the preparations for the upcoming Russia-U.S. leaders' meeting. Both sides reiterated their commitment to ensuring the success of the meeting between the two country leaders.

Russian Foreign Ministry official Alexey Fadeev said on August 13, "We believe that the consultations sought by Europe have no political or practical significance. The EU's wording about supporting the pursuit of a peaceful resolution is merely another attempt to delay the process."

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