European leaders cautiously optimistic after Trump call before Putin summit

European heads of state expressed measured hope after a videoconference with Donald Trump on Wednesday, just two days before his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska devoted to ending the war in Ukraine.

According to accounts of the call, Trump said his primary goal for the upcoming discussion with Putin was to secure a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. He agreed that any territorial issues must be decided with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that security guarantees should be part of any deal. French President Emmanuel Macron underscored this, saying: "Speaking to Trump allowed me to clarify his intentions and gave us a chance to express our expectations."

Joining Trump and Vice President JD Vance on the call were the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

With Europeans sidelined from the hastily arranged Alaska summit, the call was a last-minute effort to keep Ukraine’s interests and the continent’s security front of mind. Trump later described the conversation as "a 10" and warned that Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it halted its war in Ukraine. He added that if Friday’s meeting went well, he would try to organize "a quick second one" involving both Putin and Zelensky.

Still, European leaders reiterated that Kyiv must be part of any final decisions, revealing an underlying concern that Putin could persuade Trump to concede Ukrainian territory in exchange for a ceasefire. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "It’s most important that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can’t trust Russia," while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that leaders had "made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place." If Moscow refused concessions, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure," Merz said.

Since the US–Russia summit was announced last week, Trump has made several references to "land-swapping" between Kyiv and Moscow, alarming Ukraine and its allies. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Fadeev reiterated that Moscow’s stance had not changed since June 2024: Ukraine should withdraw from the four partially occupied regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—and officially renounce its bid to join NATO.

These are maximalist demands that neither Kyiv nor European partners consider viable. Zelensky has repeatedly said Russia would use any territory it kept as a springboard for future attacks. As a counterweight, he sees security guarantees intended to ensure Ukraine’s long-term defense.

Following the call with Trump, several European leaders confirmed that security guarantees had been discussed. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said "real progress" had been made and praised Trump’s efforts: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven’t got anywhere near the prospect of an actually viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire. Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."

Since the spring, the UK and France have spearheaded efforts to build a so-called "Coalition of the Willing"—a group of nations pledging to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine. On Wednesday, the group said it stood "ready to play an active role," including by deploying "a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased," though the shape, composition and mandate of such a force remain unclear.

Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russia’s summer offensive continues. Citing the sudden advance of Moscow’s troops near Dobropillya in Donetsk region, Zelensky said Putin was pretending sanctions were not hurting Russia’s economy: "I told Trump and our European allies that Putin is bluffing," he said, urging "more pressure" on Moscow.

Trump acknowledged that even a face-to-face meeting with Putin might not stop attacks on civilians: "I’ve had that conversation with him... but then I go home and see that a rocket has hit a nursing home or an apartment building and people are lying dead in the street. So I guess the answer to that is probably no."