Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won backing from Europe and Nato on Sunday as he rallied diplomatic support ahead of a Russia-US summit this week where Kyiv fears Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump may try to dictate terms for ending the 3.5-year war. Trump announced instead last Friday that he would hold an Aug 15 summit with Putin in Alaska.A White House official said on Saturday that Trump was open to Zelensky attending, but that preparations currently were for a bilateral meeting with Putin. Russian president last week ruled out meeting Zelensky, saying the conditions for such an encounter were “unfortunately still far” from being met. Trump said a potential deal would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both (sides)”, a statement that alarmed Ukraine alarm that it may face pressure to surrender more land.Zelensky says any decisions taken without Ukraine will be “stillborn” and unworkable. On Saturday the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said that any diplomatic solution must protect the security interests of Ukraine and Europe. “The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday. “Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security.” EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss next steps, she said.German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects Zelensky to attend the summit. Nato chief Mark Rutte told ABC News that Aug 15 summit “will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this war to an end”. He added: “It will be about security guarantees, but also about acknowledging that Ukraine decides on its own future.”
