European and Ukrainian leaders will hold a virtual meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, ahead of his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump is set to host Putin for talks in Alaska on Friday — a meeting he has described as a “follow-up” in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
This will be the first U.S.–Russia summit since 2021, following an agreement reached last week.
President Trump has emphasized that both Kyiv and Moscow will need to make territorial compromises to achieve peace. Currently, Russian forces control nearly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
The uncertainty surrounding the summit’s outcome has raised concerns in Europe, where many leaders fear that the U.S. and Russia could make decisions with far-reaching consequences — including the possibility of an unfavorable deal for Ukraine.
However, the Trump administration has sought to lower expectations for any major breakthroughs, describing the Alaska meeting as a “listening exercise.”
The virtual conference is being organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and will also be attended by the NATO Secretary General. Ukraine hopes the meeting will serve, at least in part, as a European counterbalance to the Alaska summit.
