A few days before the meeting between US President Trump and Kremlin leader Putin, almost all EU heads of state and government have agreed on a common line in support of Ukraine. Only Hungary is standing aside.

Three days before the summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the EU reiterated its position, arguing that it is important that Ukraine be included in the terms of peace.

A joint statement by 26 EU heads of state and government states:"We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe."

Ukrainians must be able to freely decide their future. It goes on to say that a"just and lasting peace" for Ukraine must be in accordance with international law, including the principle that"international borders may not be altered by force." This "cannot be decided without Ukraine."

The EU states also stress that a ceasefire is essential."Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities," the statement continues.

Orban for EU-Russia summit

Only Hungary has refused to endorse the EU declaration. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X:"The only sensible course of action for the EU leadership would be to initiate an EU-Russia summit, modeled on the US-Russian meeting."

Orban continued: "Let's give peace a chance." It was already "sad enough" that the EU had been "relegated to the role of spectator" in the negotiations."The only thing that would make the situation worse would be if we gave advice from the sidelines," Orban added.

Orban not only rejects European Union military aid for Ukraine as pointless and prolonging the war.

Orban also considers the EU sanctions against Russia to be ineffective: He has repeatedly criticized them as useless and bad for the European economy – and in the past has even forced the lifting of EU sanctions against several Russians.

Video conference with European states, Trump and Zelensky

On Wednesday, the European states plan to coordinate their future course with Trump in a video conference hosted by Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to participate.

According to government spokesman Stefan Kornelius, roundtables of talks with different compositions are planned with the heads of state and government of Germany, France, Great Britain, Finland, Italy, Poland and Ukraine.

The presence of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President António Costa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Trump's Vice President JD Vance is also planned.

According to recent data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), European allies have now procured more military equipment for Ukraine through industry than the USA.

According to figures published by the IfW's"Ukraine Support Tracker," European states procured military equipment worth at least €35.1 billion from the start of the war in February 2022 to the end of June – €4.4 billion more than the total value of goods procured by the United States.

Trump wants to talk to Putin on Friday

US President Trump declared on Monday that the meeting with Putin planned for Friday in Alaska was an exploratory meeting. He would call on Putin to end the war in Ukraine. An agreement could also lead to territorial changes.

However, he will try to regain territory for the government in Kyiv. However, there are fears in Kyiv and European capitals that Washington could dictate unfavorable peace terms to Ukraine.

Ukraine does not want to cede any land

Putin claims the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014. This would mean Russia would annex about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainians would not cede any land to the occupiers. Ukraine occupies only very small areas of Russian territory near the border, while Russian troops have completely conquered Crimea and, among other things, large parts of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

With regard to the situation at the front, Zelenskyy pointed to the possibility of further Russian advances. The Russian army is"not preparing to end the war," Zelenskyy wrote on the online service X. Rather, Russia is"undertaking troop movements that indicate preparations for new offensives."