[Source: Reuters]

European leaders welcomed on Saturday U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, while stressing the need to keep pressure on Moscow and protect Ukrainian and European security interests.

Trump plans to meet Putin in Alaska on August 15, saying the parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict.

Details of the potential deal have yet to be announced, but Trump said it would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both”.

It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory, an outcome Zelenskiy and his European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance met British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and representatives of Ukraine and European allies on Saturday at Chevening House, a country mansion southeast of London, to discuss Trump’s push for peace.

A joint statement from the French, Italian, German, Polish, British, and Finnish leaders and the president of the European Commission welcomed Trump’s efforts, while stressing the need to maintain support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia.

“We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” they said.

“We agree that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said, while adding: “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”

The leaders also said “they remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” and added: “The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”

They said negotiations could only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities.

Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who took part in the talks with European leaders and U.S. officials, said Ukraine was grateful for their constructive approach.

“A ceasefire is necessary – but the front line is not a border,” Yermak said on X, reiterating Kyiv’s position that it will reject any territorial concessions to Russia.

Yermak also thanked Vance for “respecting all points of view” and his efforts toward a “reliable peace.”

A European official confirmed a counterproposal was put forward by European representatives at the Chevening meeting but declined to provide details.

The Wall Street Journal said European officials had presented a counterproposal that included demands that a ceasefire must take place before any other steps are taken and that any territory exchange must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees.

“You can’t start a process by ceding territory in the middle of fighting,” it quoted one European negotiator as saying.

A U.S. official said hours-long meetings at Chevening “produced significant progress toward President Trump’s goal of bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, ahead of President Trump and President Putin’s upcoming meeting in Alaska.”

The White House did not immediately respond when asked about the European counterproposals.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke and pledged to find a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine and “unwavering support” for Zelenskiy while welcoming Trump’s efforts to end the fighting, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

It was not clear what, if anything, had been agreed at Chevening, but Zelenskiy earlier called the meeting constructive.

“The path to peace for Ukraine should be determined together and only together with Ukraine, this is key principle,” he said in his evening address to Ukrainians.

NBC News cited an unnamed U.S. official as saying that the Trump administration was considering inviting Zelenskiy to join the U.S. and Russian presidents at their Alaska meeting.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this, and Russian and Ukrainian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Macron stressed the need for Ukraine to play a role in any negotiations.

“Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now,” he wrote on X after what he said were calls with Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Starmer. “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.”

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