Events have accelerated since US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday. Trump invited Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington on Monday, and he has already left. He met in Brussels and held a half-hour meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, followed by a brief press conference.
It is crucial that Europe is now as united as it was at the very beginning, in 2022, when the total war began. This unity will really help us achieve real peace, and we must remain strong. We must stop the killings. Putin has many demands, but we do not know them all
– said the Ukrainian president. He said that real negotiations are needed, which “can start where the front line is now.” He recalled that Putin has been unable to occupy the Donetsk region for 12 years and that Ukraine’s constitution makes it impossible to give up the territories or trade with them.
This is significant because Washington confirmed on Sunday that it is ready to accept Putin's demand that Ukraine hand over territory to Russia in exchange for an end to the fighting. Steve Witkoff, the US president's special envoy, told CNN on Sunday about the Putin-Trump meeting that"territorial swaps" were indeed mentioned as part of a possible peace deal.
According to Zelensky, it is important that the United States and Europe also participate in providing security guarantees, the details of which still need to be clarified, and in this regard, he returned to the importance of European unity.
We need security to work in practice, like NATO's Article 5, and we see EU accession as part of security guarantees
– the Ukrainian president emphasized. Both Zelensky and Von der Leyen spoke about the fact that in the future the EU and Ukraine will launch joint defense programs, the first of which was the production of drones.
Since the beginning of Russia's brutal invasion, Europe has stood unitedly with Ukraine, and we will support you for as long as necessary for a just and lasting peace. And this peace must be achieved by force
– said the President of the European Commission. Von der Leyen stressed that Ukraine must be able to maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “There should be no restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces, whether it is cooperation with or assistance from other third countries,” she added, and then described the task as follows:
Ukraine must become a steel-combed hedgehog, indigestible to potential invaders.
Ursula von der Leyen, in relation to territorial issues, said that “international borders cannot be changed by force.” In her opinion, these are decisions that must be made “by Ukraine and Ukraine alone,” meaning that these decisions cannot be made without Ukraine.
Finally, Von der Leyen confirmed that as long as the bloodshed in Ukraine continues, Europe will maintain diplomatic and especially economic pressure on Russia. The EU has so far adopted 18 sanctions packages and is currently preparing a 19th, which is expected to be presented in early September.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, the US president's special envoy, spoke on Sunday about a security guarantee, not a ceasefire, but a"possible peace treaty", based on Friday's talks in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff told CNN that Trump and Putin agreed to “solid security guarantees,” such as ensuring that Ukraine would enjoy protection similar to that of NATO members even without membership. He said:
The United States and other nations could effectively offer Ukraine protection similar to Article 5.
Von der Leyen and Zelensky participated in the negotiations of the coalition of those ready to act on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Washington meeting. It is important to note that the EU is only one participant in these negotiations, and the determining factors are the leaders of major European countries, including Great Britain. This is indicated by the fact that Zelensky will be accompanied to the United States not only by Von der Leyen, but also by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will of course also participate in the negotiations with Donald Trump.
