European Leaders Call for Protection of Ukraine as Trump Set to Meet Putin

‘We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,’ the leaders said.

(Left) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome, Italy, on July 10, 2025. (Center) U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on July 29, 2025. (Right) Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 8, 2025. Antonio Masiello, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A coalition of European leaders released a joint statement on Aug. 9 welcoming the news of President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and stressing the need to ensure that European and Ukrainian interests are protected as the two leaders talk about ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15.