Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may be important for their bilateral relations, but they cannot make any decisions regarding Ukraine without our participation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. Similar opinions were previously expressed by European leaders, including Poland. The leaders of the United States and Russia are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Friday.
"As for the negotiations, they are important at the leadership level anyway. But you can't talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will accept that. Therefore, a conversation between the President of the United States and Putin may, of course, be important for their bilateral relations, but they cannot make any decisions regarding Ukraine without our participation ," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president also held a conversation on Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussing the possibility of organizing a summit of the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.
"We discussed the current diplomatic situation and the opportunities it currently presents. President Erdogan made it clear that any negotiations without Ukraine's participation will not bring lasting peace. We all understand all the risks and threats. A sham peace, rather than a genuine one, will certainly not last long and will encourage Russia to further seize territory," the president stated.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is ready for all formats of meetings to put an end to the killing and end the war."President Erdogan confirmed his country's readiness to host a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, Russia, and Turkey," he announced.
War in Ukraine. Trump meets with Putin. European leaders speak out.
On Friday, August 15, the leaders of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, are scheduled to meet in the US state of Alaska. Politicians from many Western countries and experts are warning that these talks could result in decisions regarding possible territorial concessions from Ukraine to Russia.
The leaders of six European countries, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, issued a joint statement on Ukraine on Saturday. They emphasized that they"remain committed to the principle that international borders cannot be changed by force."
The document, which emphasized that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without the participation of Kyiv", was also signed by the heads of government of Italy - Giorgia Meloni, Germany - Friedrich Merz and Great Britain - Keir Starmer, as well as the presidents of Finland - Alexander Stubb and France - Emmanuel Macron.
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka emphasized at Tuesday's briefing that the Polish government's position on the talks between Trump and Putin was one of the topics of Tuesday's government meeting.
"In short, the most important thing is – and this is Poland's position – that there is no consent to talks that will bypass the countries directly involved, in this case Ukraine. Europe must show solidarity and participate in these talks together, in those aspects that concern Europe. There is no consent to any decisions being made without Ukraine's participation," he said.
At the beginning of Tuesday's government meeting, Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that the group of leading European countries on Ukraine, whose work is coordinated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, will be preparing another joint position over the next several dozen hours. He announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had prepared a draft government position for Tuesday in the context of the U.S.-Russia talks."There is no doubt that it is in Poland's interest that Russia not emerge victorious from this confrontation," the head of government added.
The Prime Minister admitted that the outcome of President Trump's actions and the talks in Alaska is still a"big unknown." He also emphasized that from the point of view of Polish security, it is fundamental that Putin not receive a gift before this meeting, which, in his opinion, would be"putting Ukrainians and Poles, or more broadly, Ukraine and Europe, in conflict."
