In Unprecedented Weekend Push, Six European Powers Declare: “Kyiv Must Be at Every Table That Shapes Its Fate”
An Anchorage Summit with Ukraine Absent?
Saturday in Brussels turned into a rare show of continental unity when, within minutes of sunrise, the heads of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the United Kingdom—joined by the President of the European Council—locked arms behind Ukraine in a terse, single-paragraph communique that rejects any future bargain carved out in Moscow, Washington or anywhere else without President Volodymyr Zelensky seated front and center.
The statement, issued beneath flags snapping in an alpine wind, insists that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine at the negotiating table” and calls for a “robust and credible security architecture” that would keep Russian troops from ever again menacing Kyiv. It comes mere hours after Donald Trump confirmed an Alaska rendezvous with Vladimir Putin scheduled for Friday, 15 August—an encounter that, for now, omits Ukraine altogether.
What the Seven Leaders Demanded, Word-for-Word
- No coerced ceding of land. “International borders must not be altered by force.”
- Security guarantees with teeth. “Nothing short of a credible shield can assure a truly lasting peace.”
- A ceasefire first, talks second. “Meaningful discussions require an immediate cessation or reduction of hostilities.”
- Respect for Ukraine’s right to choose alliances.
Trump’s Fraught Countdown
Behind the scenes, multiple sources familiar with the planning told network reporters that the former president remains open to expanding the Putin summit—long sought by the Kremlin—into a three-way discussion that would bring Zelensky alongside. Russia, however, has thus far insisted on a bilateral format, a preference that European delegations worry could lead to “secret maps handed back and forth” and fresh territorial demands.
Trump himself amplified those fears on Friday evening when he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he anticipates “some swapping of territories.” He stopped short of specifying which districts could be traded or how such an exchange would comport with the UN Charter.
Ticking Clock on Sanctions
A July ultimatum threatening secondary tariffs on nations importing Russian crude expires this Friday—a pressure lever Trump moved up from late September to prod Moscow toward concessions. On Saturday, the White House declined to confirm whether fresh measures would hit the statute books, leaving energy markets and European diplomats guessing.
Inside the Secretive Chevening Huddle
While the Anchorage headline stole the news cycle, a quieter meeting unfolded at the British Foreign Secretary’s 17th-century countryside residence. Vice President JD Vance sat opposite European and Ukrainian officials for an unscripted session on ending Europe’s bloodiest land war since 1945. According to aides, the group worked line-by-line through draft ceasefire language before daybreak Sunday, though no final communique emerged.
Kyiv Draws Its Red Lines—Again
From a basement command post lit by generator-powered LEDs, Zelenskyy recorded a blistering 42-second video reiterating that “Ukraine did not survive 900 days of missiles and drones to auction off its soil to the invader.” His post on social media platform X drew a flood of Ukrainian-flag emojis and European flags in solidarity within minutes.
Privately, Kyiv envoys have signaled they could tolerate a de facto freezing of the front if an internationally supervised demarcation line buys breathing room for reconstruction. Yet even whispering about formal capitulation remains impossible, one Ukrainian lawmaker admitted, so long as artillery still pounds Kharkiv and children hide in metro stations.
The Week Ahead Could Reshape Europe
Whether Trump’s Anchorage gambit accelerates diplomacy—or widens the very rifts it seeks to mend—will hinge on at least three unknowns after the European bloc spoke with one voice:
- Will Putin accept face-to-face talks that include Zelensky?
- Can Washington and Brussels reconcile opposing red lines on territory and NATO membership?
- And who, if anyone, will police a fragile ceasefire once the guns finally fall silent?
Until then, European officials signaled they are “prepared for further measures”, a carefully worded hint at sharper sanctions and deeper defense aid—even as they brace for what Anchorage may bring.
