European leaders say US-Russia peace talks must include Ukraine
Iran Press TV
Sunday, 10 August 2025 6:55 PM
In a message to US President Donald Trump, a coalition of European leaders warned that any peace talks to end the war in Ukraine must include Kiev.
The president of the European Union and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, and the United Kingdom signed a joint statement on Sunday, saying that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine."
"Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities," the statement read.
The show of European unity came hours after Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in Alaska.
A White House official said Trump was open to including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the talks but, for now, the summit remained bilateral.
Trump also suggested he expected "some swapping of territories" between Ukraine and Russia — a proposal rejected by both Zelensky and the European leaders.
They said in the statement that "international borders must not be changed by force" and that the current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations.
Backed by its Western allies, Ukraine has consistently opposed any agreement that involves ceding territory — including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia — to Russia. Moscow, however, insists any deal must include Kiev giving up some of the land it has held since 2014.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Europe has floated a counterproposal calling for a ceasefire before any further steps and stipulating that any land swaps must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees in place.
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