Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders ahead of the planned Trump-Putin summit later this week.
The German government stated that the talks aim to ensure that Europe’s and Ukraine’s positions are heard ahead of the August 15 meeting between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska.
Merz has organised a series of virtual meetings involving leaders from Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland, the European Union, and NATO.
The agenda includes Ukraine’s concerns about being excluded from direct participation in the US-Russia talks, as well as efforts to present a united European stance.
Zelenskyy will first confer with European leaders before joining a virtual call with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The final round of discussions will include members of the “coalition of the willing,” countries prepared to help enforce any future peace agreement.
Trump has said he wants to determine if Russian President Vladimir Putin is “serious” about ending the war, now in its fourth year.
However, his comments suggesting Ukraine may need to cede Russian-held territory — and that Russia should accept unspecified land swaps — have unsettled Kyiv and its European allies.
Both Ukraine and European leaders remain cautious, fearing that a deal struck without their input could hand Putin strategic concessions, potentially emboldening further aggression against other European nations.
