The consultations, contacts and movements are feverish from all parties interested in the future of Ukraine and the end of the war, ahead of the Trump– Putin meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday.

The game has opened for good, as Moscow and Washington begin the… bets, while the Europeans and Ukraine, having failed to secure a seat at the table, play the role of active spectator, trying to influence the US position during the meeting.

The Russian opening before Alaska

Russia made the first move, through the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexei Fadeyev, making it clear that its position on ending the war in Ukraine was defined by President Vladimir Putin in June 2024 and has not changed. Putin has made it clear that he wants the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, which Russia has partially placed under its control and has announced their annexation. These terms de facto leave out of the discussion the issue of Crimea, which was annexed de facto in 2014, for which Russia apparently does not even want to negotiate.

At the same time, and without making any specific mention of the agenda, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Trump and Putin will discuss all the accumulated issues in their bilateral relations during their meeting in Alaska. However, the above demands and conditions of Russia, when they were formulated, were generally characterized as maximalist and were rejected as a starting point for discussion.

Moscow snubs Europeans

In an effort to further strengthen Putin's position at the negotiating table - ensuring that Russia is discussing on equal terms with the US and not with the rest - the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman also dismissed as insignificant the consultations that European leaders were expected to have via video conference with the US president in an attempt to convince him to defend Ukraine's interests during his meeting with Putin.

"We consider the consultations requested by the Europeans to be politically and practically insignificant actions. The Europeans verbally support the diplomatic efforts of Washington and Moscow to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but in reality the European Union is sabotaging them," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman noted.

Trump enters dynamically, but keeps Europe in a spectator role

For their part, the US and President Donald Trump appeared to be entering the game with a correspondingly strong hand. The US president, shortly before the phone calls and video conference with the Europeans and Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed in a post on Truth Social that: I will be talking to European leaders in a moment. They are great people who want to see a deal made.

Earlier than this statement, which essentially places Europe in the role of observer who wants to see a deal, the American president had launched another all-out attack on the media, claiming in a post that: The media is very unfairly covering my meeting with Putin. They keep getting statements from failed, fired and really stupid guys like John Bolton, who a while ago said that even though the meeting is taking place on American soil. Putin has already won. What does all this mean? We are winning EVERYWHERE. Fake News is working overtime (Overtime is not taxed!). If I liberated Moscow and Leningrad as part of a deal with Russia, Fake News would say I made a bad deal. But now they have figured it out. Look at all the real news that comes out about their DIFFERENCE. They are sick and dishonest people, who probably hate our country. But it doesn't matter because we win at everything!!! MAGA.

US Threatens Russia with New Sanctions Based on Outcome

In addition to the above, the American approach to the meeting also included threats against Moscow in the event that there is no satisfactory outcome from the meeting. Specifically, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett claimed in an interview that Russia could face direct or secondary US sanctions if the talks between the two presidents fail.

EU, NATO and Ukraine call on… Trump

In the tail of the developments, but trying to claim to be heard, were the leaders of Europe, but also of Ukraine. After a marathon of consultations among themselves, the leaders of Europe, together with Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a lightning trip to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but also to participate in the video conference with Donald Trump, presented their own positions on the issue. According to what was announced after the end of the video conference, the leaders of Europe and Zelensky made it clear to the American president that any decisions about the future of Ukraine should be made together with Ukraine.

Europeans demand ceasefire, peace and security guarantees

French President Emmanuel Macron said in statements after the conference that Donald Trump informed European leaders that the goal of the meeting with Putin is a ceasefire. For their part, according to Macron, the Europeans appeared positive about this prospect, while making it clear that they also support calls for more exchanges of prisoners of war between the two sides, as well as the release of children from Ukraine who have been kidnapped by Russia. As the French president argued, the Europeans also argued that any territorial concessions should be directly linked to the existence of security guarantees.

For his part, Friedrich Merz, at the joint press conference he gave from Berlin with Volodymyr Zelensky, argued that European leaders want and are doing their best to make the meeting in Alaska a success and that the ceasefire should be the first step towards a more permanent peaceful settlement. According to him, the European principle is that borders cannot be changed by force and discussions on the territory should be linked to the contact line. At the same time, as he said, European partners will push for solid security guarantees for Ukraine.

For his part, Zelensky stated at the press conference that there is unity among Europeans and very intensive coordination, while he stated that everything concerning Ukraine should be discussed with Ukraine and that he continues to support the idea of a trilateral meeting between himself, Trump, and Putin.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also made statements after the video conference. According to Rutte: We had a great video call. NATO is united in pushing for an end to this terrible war in Ukraine and for a lasting peace. We appreciate Donald Trump's leadership and the close cooperation with Allies. The ball is now in Putin's court.

For her part, the President of the European Commission said in her statements:"Today, Europe, the US and NATO have strengthened their common position on Ukraine. We will remain in close cooperation. No one wants peace more than we do, a just and lasting peace."