EU & US Leaders Join Emergency Call Ahead of Trump-Putin Meet on Ukraine Peace

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will hold an emergency virtual summit coming Wednesday, that will see the participation of European leaders, US President Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, POLITICO reported on Monday, just days ahead of a high-stakes meeting scheduled between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss Ukraine peace.

The video call will likely see the leaders discussing ways to ramp up pressure on Russia, Ukrainian territory seized during the war, and exploring security guarantees for Kyiv, a German government spokesperson reportedly said.

Agenda and Attendees in Focus

The summit is scheduled to begin at 2 pm on Wednesday with an one-long discussion involving leaders from Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, along with the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, the report said, adding that Zelenskyy and NATO Chief Mark Rutte will also participate.

An hour later, at 3 pm, the meeting will shift to include Trump and Vice President JD Vance, along with European leaders and Zelenskyy, guiding discussions toward the upcoming Trump–Putin meeting.

According to The Guardian, this two-step schedule starts with an internal EU summit, followed by a call involving the US, which has been famously termed as the “coalition of the willing.”

Europe Insists Ukraine Must Be In the Room

The impending consultation call follows an emergency meeting of the EU foreign ministers called by the bloc’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. The ministers are expected to demand that Russia first agree to a ceasefire before any peace talks or territorial swaps.

“President Trump is right to say that Russia must end its war against Ukraine. The United States has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,” Kallas said, per The Guardian.

She further stressed that “any agreement between the US and Russia must include Ukraine and the EU because it is a security issue for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe.”

Supporting this, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated, “Europe is paying for Ukraine to defend itself … this is a matter of existential European security interests. We appreciate President Trump’s efforts but we will be taking our own decisions here in Europe. To get to a fair peace, Russia has to limit its war aims.”

Washington’s Focus? Gauging Putin’s Flexibility

From the American perspective, the upcoming Trump–Putin summit is being seen as a test of Putin’s willingness to make concessions, particularly regarding Western-backed security guarantees that affirm Ukraine’s government under Zelenskyy.

Trump, who has in recent days appeared to have grown increasingly impatient toward Putin, has made clear that he believes no meaningful ceasefire will happen until they meet face-to-face.

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