EU Urges Trump to Defend Europe’s Security Interests at Putin Summit

A European Union statement published on Tuesday said the ‘path to peace’ cannot be decided without Ukraine’s participation.

A serviceman with Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade fires a howitzer at Russian forces near Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, on Nov. 18, 2024. President Donald Trump has begun pressuring China and India to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil in an effort to end the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Oleg Petrasiuk/24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/File Photo/Handout via Reuters

European Union leaders on Aug. 12 appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to defend Europe’s vital security interests when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for talks on the Ukraine conflict.

After Trump requested a face-to-face meeting with Putin and threatened secondary tariffs of 100 percent against countries buying oil and gas from Russia, the Kremlin agreed to the summit, which is set to take place without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.