The meeting between Trump and Putin didn't produce any concrete results. The Europeans responded with solidarity for Kyiv, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants to have a say – and Trump can imagine peace talks without a ceasefire.

Following the Ukraine summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the heads of state and government of the major European countries continue to insist on promises of protection for the attacked country."We are aware that Ukraine needs irrevocable security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," they said in a joint statement.

According to participants, after the meeting with Putin, Trump reaffirmed in a conference call with European partners his willingness to provide Ukraine with appropriate security guarantees together with Europe.

This willingness is welcomed, wrote German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and EU Council President António Costa. Ukraine must receive"irrevocable security guarantees" from its Western allies "in order to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"Russia cannot veto"

The Europeans also declared that Moscow should not oppose Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO."Russia cannot veto Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO." However, the Europeans' previously repeatedly mentioned demand for a ceasefire is not mentioned in the statement.

In addition to the joint statement, the European leaders also made separate statements: Macron urged maintaining pressure on Russia at Platform X."It is important to learn all the lessons of the past 30 years—especially from Russia's well-documented tendency to renege on its own commitments." Chancellor Merz welcomed Trump's efforts to end the war and achieve "a just and lasting peace."

Further talks called for

Starmer expressed more confidence: "President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine." The US's willingness, together with Europe, to provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees as part of an agreement is an important step forward and will play a crucial role in deterring Putin from further attacks.

The Europeans' joint statement concluded that further talks must now follow, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must also participate. They are ready to work with Trump and Zelenskyy toward a trilateral summit with European support. A meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump is planned for Monday in Washington.

Zelenskyy wants three-way summit

Zelensky himself is also seeking a three-way meeting with Trump and Putin to discuss an end to the war. However, the Kremlin stated that nothing has been discussed so far.

If there is no three-way summit or if Russia refuses"a fair end to the war," Zelenskyy said, there must be further sanctions against Moscow. These are an effective tool.

The Ukrainian president also called for"reliable and long-term security guarantees" for Ukraine, with the participation of Europe and the United States. He also insisted that Kyiv be involved in all negotiations concerning Ukraine, especially regarding territorial issues.

Trump backs away from ceasefire

Trump also spoke again – a few hours after the press conference with Putin in Alaska – backing away from the demand for a ceasefire in Ukraine as a condition for peace negotiations. On his short message service Truth Social, he wrote that everyone agreed that a direct peace agreement was the best path to peace in Ukraine – and not a ceasefire agreement, which often doesn't hold.

Ukraine immediately rejected the proposal."Our view is: first a ceasefire, and then everything else," said Serhiy Leshchenko, a presidential advisor, on Ukrainian television. If hostilities continue during the talks, there are"great risks of blackmailing Ukraine."

Medvedev considers summit a success

And what is the reaction from Moscow? Putin himself did not comment further after the press statement with Trump. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, however, considered the summit a success for his country. The meeting was calm and, without ultimatums, a fully-fledged mechanism for contacts at the highest state level was established, he wrote on Telegram. Putin outlined Russia's conditions for ending the war. As a result, the US has, at least for the time being, refrained from exerting further pressure on Russia.

Furthermore, the meeting demonstrated that negotiations on ending the war and hostilities could take place simultaneously, Medvedev wrote. Above all, Russia and the United States made it clear that it was primarily up to Ukraine and the Europeans to achieve an end to hostilities.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized Europe's uncompromising attitude toward Russia. The real cause of the war, she wrote on X, is Russia's imperialist foreign policy. The"harsh reality" is that Russia has no intention of ending the war anytime soon, Kallas added. While the delegations were meeting, Russia launched new attacks on Ukraine."Putin continues to drag out the negotiations and hopes to get away with it."