The United States has pledged to consult its European partners before a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday.
Trump plans to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, and has talked up the prospect of a deal to resolve the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict. “I will wait […] for the effects of the meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin — I have many fears and a lot of hope,” Tusk said.
Tusk added that Trump’s recent comments on the war could suggest a growing understanding of Ukrainian and European arguments, though he was not certain the shift would last. According to reports, the White House is considering the Ukrainian president’s participation in negotiations.
“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Tusk said, stressing that Europe would not accept Russian terms based on seizing Ukrainian territory and that any peace conditions, including territorial issues, must be agreed with Kyiv.
French, Italian, German, Polish, British, Finnish and European Commission leaders on Saturday welcomed Trump’s push to end the war but underlined the need to maintain pressure on Russia and provide security guarantees for Kyiv.
Tusk said the joint statement showed a united European approach: “State borders cannot be changed by force. Russia’s war with Ukraine must not bring benefits to the aggressor.”
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Source: IAR, PAP, TVN24