Leaders from Ukraine, the EU, and the US are gearing up for the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting. Here are the key takeaways you need to know.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched down in Berlin on Wednesday for a virtual summit with European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump, all orchestrated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The purpose of the call was to unite European leaders with Trump ahead of the upcoming meeting on August 15 in Alaska, where Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among those participating in the call were Merz, Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, to name a few. The idea of Trump having a one-on-one meeting with Putin has left many European leaders feeling anxious. Since the announcement of the Alaska summit, they've been eager to make their voices heard one last time, and on Wednesday, that effort led to a series of important discussions. Around noon GMT, European leaders and NATO members held a video conference with Zelenskyy. About an hour later, Trump and Vice President JD Vance joined the conversation. Chancellor Merz and President Zelenskyy then made joint statements, followed by a separate address from Trump at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Later in the day, the “Coalition of the Willing,” a group of 31 nations dedicated to bolstering support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, convened in a separate virtual meeting and released a statement. Merz emphasized that the security interests of both Europe and Ukraine must be honored at Friday’s Alaska summit. He stressed the necessity of including Ukraine in any peace talks, with a ceasefire being the crucial first step. “We’ve made it clear that Ukraine will be at the table as soon as there’s a follow-up meeting,” Merz told reporters in Berlin alongside Zelenskyy. “President Trump is keen on making a ceasefire a top priority,” he added. French President Macron made it clear to reporters in Bregancon, France, that any discussions about territorial exchanges in Ukraine should only involve Ukraine itself. “Trump was very clear that the US aims to secure a ceasefire during this meeting in Alaska,” Macron stated. “When I say ‘we’, I’m referring to both Europeans and Americans, and we must keep supporting Ukraine,” he added. Following the virtual summit, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that Ukraine needs credible security guarantees as part of any peace agreement. He reassured that the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering.” During a news conference with Merz, Zelenskyy remarked that Putin is merely “bluffing” about his interest in peace. “Russia is trying to present itself as capable of occupying all of Ukraine, which is undoubtedly their goal,” Zelenskyy asserted. He also cautioned that “discussions about us, without us, won’t be effective.” “Everything related to Ukraine must be discussed solely with Ukraine. We need to set up a trilateral format for talks, and a ceasefire is essential,” Zelenskyy insisted. He further stated that “there must be security guarantees—ones that are genuinely reliable.” Zelenskyy highlighted that among the agreed principles is that Russia should not be allowed to hinder Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union or NATO, and that peace talks should coincide with maintaining pressure on Russia. He also stressed that sanctions should be intensified if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire during the Alaska summit. “These principles are effective, and it’s crucial that they are implemented,” he added. Trump described their call as “very good,” giving it a rating of 10 and noting it was “very friendly.” He then discussed potential next steps leading up to Friday’s meeting. “There’s a strong possibility we’ll have a second meeting that will be more productive than the first. The first meeting is about figuring out where we stand and what our next moves are,” he explained. Trump also brought up the idea of a future meeting “between President Putin, President Zelenskyy, and myself, if they’d like to have me there,” following his initial meeting with Putin. He mentioned that he plans to reach out to Zelenskyy and other European leaders after his discussions with Putin on Friday. The US president warned that there would be “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin doesn’t agree to put an end to the war after their meeting. When a journalist asked Trump, “Do you believe you can convince him to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine?” he replied, “I’ve had that conversation with him.” He continued, “Then I go home and see that a rocket hit a nursing home or an apartment building, and people are lying dead in the street. So I guess the answer to that is no, because I’ve had this conversation.” Despite this, he reiterated his desire to find a resolution: “I want to end the war. It’s Biden’s war, but I want to end it. I’ll be very proud to end this war, along with the five other wars I ended,” he stated, without elaborating on which other conflicts he was referencing. He has previously taken credit for ceasefires between India and Pakistan in May, and Israel and Iran in June, as well as mediating truce agreements between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Trump has also made it clear that he aspires to win a Nobel Peace Prize and believes he deserves one. The coalition released a statement outlining four key requirements they think should be the foundation for Friday’s discussions.

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