Lord Simon McDonald, ex-head of the UK Foreign Office, said Russia would make "outrageous demands" that only Trump could consider. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused offers of a land-for-peace swap or ceasefires, which leave the fighting where it is as too much of an encouragement to Moscow's armed aspirations.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's new foreign policy chief, may meet Putin. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke to European Parliament members on Monday and expressed concerns that Putin will use it as an opportunity for a meeting with "relevant figures (in global politics) and maybe try for a…Ease of sanctions." She emphasised that getting Zelensky to the negotiating table alone would be an obvious win for Washington, though noting that his invitation remains up in the air.
Europe's Push for Involvement
The Alaska summit was something the Kremlin had proposed and to which the White House agreed, in a one-on-one format that has left some European leaders even more frustrated. Kallas on Monday hosted a video conference of EU foreign ministers that called for an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire before any peace agreement, as well as unveiled fresh sanctions against Moscow.
European leaders have lambasted any talk of territory-for-territory trades, with the fear that appeasing aggression would invite more such behaviour. The dispute turned from a domestic row into an "existential European security interest", as Poland's foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, put it. And Europe made clear it would decide its course of action.
Limited Role for Europe
When Trump re-emerged in office at the beginning of last year, his envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that it would be underpinned by an assertion that the EU would not be involved in peace talks led by the US. Even though ties between European capitals and Washington have warmed and defence spending has increased, the bloc stays out in the cold.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has organised a teleconference for Wednesday with other European leaders, Zelensky and Trump to try to shape the US plan. McDonald, however, views it as doubtful whether the Europeans would then be singing the others to their table on less than a day's notice. The summit, he cautioned, would be "just a point in time; the end will be as protracted as the war has been.
