European leaders on Saturday made it clear that Moscow cannot dictate whether Ukraine joins the European Union or Nato.The EU claimed that Russia has no veto power over Kyiv’s future. The strong message came a day after talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough on ending the almost 4-year war.A joint statement, signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Europe would continue to support Ukraine’s right to choose its alliances. “We are ready to work towards a trilateral summit with European support including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,” the statement said.The leaders also pledged to keep pressure on Moscow. “European nations vow to continue to strengthen sanctions on Russia,” the EU statement added, reaffirming their stance against Putin’s aggression.
High-profile summit ends in low-profile results
Trump hosted Putin in Alaska on Friday and had hoped to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine. But despite hours of meetings, no agreement was reached. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump told reporters, admitting that key issues remained unresolved. However, Putin said progress had been made and cautioned Europe not to “torpedo the progress.” It was his first visit to the US in more than a decade.The US president has long promised to end the war swiftly, but seven months into his return to office he could not even secure a pause in the fighting. Instead, Putin used the meeting to reassert Russia’s standing on the global stage, thanking Trump for the “friendly” tone of their talks. “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” Trump said. “And there are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn’t get there.”Putin welcomed the reception in Anchorage and said both sides should “turn the page and go back to cooperation.” The Russian president praised his American counterpart. He said that Trump is someone who “has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and sincerely cares about the prosperity of his country.”For Ukraine, the talks were troubling. Zelensky was left out, breaking the long-held idea of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Before the meeting, he asked Washington to take a “strong position” in defending Kyiv’s interests. Afterward, Trump said it was partly Zelensky’s job “to get it done,” though he added that European nations would also take part.Despite Trump’s threats of sanctions, the Anchorage talks may delay new measures against Moscow, giving Russian forces more time to advance. The war continues to drain both sides, with Ukraine battling to hold its ground along a 1,000-kilometre front line.
Meeting with Putin went well, late-night call with Zelenskyy: Trump
After concluding the Alaska meet, Trump on Saturday said that the “best way” to end the Russia-Ukraine war was to directly go for a peace agreement and not a ceasefire deal.In a post on Truth Social, the MAGA chief said: “A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
