European heads of state and government will hold a series of remote meetings today to coordinate a unified position ahead of the August 15 Russia-US summit, with an all-important call with US President Donald Trump sandwiched in the middle, the DPA news agency said.
Various rounds of talks will be joined by the heads of state and government from Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as by Trump and US Vice President JD Vance. According to the DPA, it is presumed that Vladimir Zelensky will arrive in Berlin around noon (10 a.m. GMT) on August 13 to take part in videoconferences as well.
The online meeting on Ukraine was the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The news agency noted that its goal is to find common ground with Trump before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. First of all, Merz plans to get in touch with Ukraine’s closest European allies at 2 p.m. (12 p.m. GMT) for a preliminary discussion of further consultations with Trump. The participation of the heads of state and government from France, the UK, Italy, Poland and Finland, as well as of von der Leyen, Costa, Rutte and Zelensky is anticipated.
At 3 p.m. (1 p.m. GMT), a phone conference with Trump and Vance is scheduled. Following that, the German chancellor plans to discuss the results within the framework of the so-called coalition of the willing. Online consultations of the European heads of state and government following the talks with Trump and Vance are slated for 4:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. GMT). According to the DPA, the Europeans and Zelensky are concerned that Trump and Putin may agree in Alaska on handing over Ukrainian territories to Russia, something the Kiev regime absolutely rejects. It’s possible they want Trump to give assurances that he will not conclude a deal with the Russian leader bypassing the Ukrainians and Europeans, the news agency concluded.
In turn, German Government Spokesman Stefan Kornelius has asserted that the talks "must be focused on further levers of pressure on Moscow." Additionally, according to him, the discussion will involve "preparations for potential peace talks and related issues of territorial claims and security."
Trump said on August 8 that he hopes to hold a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. The date and venue were later confirmed by Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, who said that the Russian and US presidents will focus on discussing options for reaching a lasting settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. The Kremlin, in his words, expects that the two leaders will meet on Russian territory after their talks in Alaska.
