Kyiv, Aug 13 (UNI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and NATO leaders are set to convene a virtual summit today, ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on August 15, reports CBS News.
Zelenskyy will join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, the German government said.
Merz is convening a series of virtual meetings in an attempt to have European and Ukrainian voices be a part of the summit, which has already proven controversial due to them being completely sidelined from the talks.
Zelensky will first meet the European leaders, ahead of his call with Trump, and later speak to Vice President JD Vance.
A call among leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” – those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv – will be last.
Having reiterated his worries several times over a possible land swap agreement being reached, Zelensky urged for a cooperation between Kyiv and Brussels to put an end to Russian military venture.
“Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace. We must learn from the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception on the part of Russia. There are currently no signs that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” Zelensky said in a social media statement.
Merz during the day pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights in the face of an ever-advancing Russia.
Regarding the upcoming summit, Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its third year, describing Friday’s event as “a feel-out meeting” where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions.
Currently, there are fears looming in Ukraine and Europe that the talks would increasingly favour Moscow, due to its more advantageous position and the US’ greenlighting of land swap, much to the chagrin of Kyiv and Brussels.
Trump has further dismissed the need for Zelensky to be part of the talks, adding that post the Friday summit in Alaska, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.”
