Alaska 2025: Europe Stands in Ukraine’s Corner
Europe fears that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, a former KGB spy, will be able to bring President Donald Trump back to seeing the war on his terms, a position the American president rejected a few weeks ago. Furthermore, Europe’s support for Ukraine is based on its understandable fear of Russian aggression against its countries. This is especially the case for Eastern European countries – the former subjugated nations of Russian imperialism.
However, in the wake of yesterday’s teleconference among European leaders, Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, unity is still strong.
Zelenskyy said those on the call agreed on five “common principles.”
• First, that nothing about Ukraine should be discussed without Ukraine – an observation that we have supported since former President Poroshenko first uttered it.
• Second, that preparations should begin for a joint summit of Ukraine, Russia and the US.
• Third, that Russia should agree to a ceasefire before peace talks begin in earnest.
• Fourth, that Ukraine should receive security guarantees – which Zelenskyy said Trump supported.
“Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine’s European and NATO prospects,” Zelenskyy said. And Russia must face fresh sanctions if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska. “Peace talks must be combined with appropriate pressure on Russia,” he stressed.
None of these points are unsually radical. They are for all intents and purposes issues that all sovereign, independent countries insist on.
The Europeans at the meeting struck a tentatively upbeat note after the meeting, claiming that Trump had been sympathetic to their calls for an immediate ceasefire, and that Ukraine must have a seat at the table in future negotiations.
Two European diplomats familiar with the tele-summit told CNN that, during the call, Trump seemed to say he would push for an unconditional ceasefire in his meeting with Putin, saying he believed this would be a show of goodwill from Russia. Trump also said that the issue of Ukrainian territory is not for him to negotiate, the sources said.
In his public comments, Trump struck a harsh tone again, threatening Russia with “very severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine during Friday’s summit in Alaska.
“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting which will be more productive than the first. Because the first is: I’m going to find out where we are, what we’re doing,” Trump said during an appearance at the Kennedy Center.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who convened Wednesday’s call, said that the Europeans “made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table” for the next meeting.
“We want things to go in the right sequence: We want a ceasefire at the very beginning, and then a framework agreement must be drawn up,” Merz said at a press conference with Zelensky.
Although Trump said bluntly on Monday that “there’ll be some land swapping going on,” Merz stressed that legal recognition of Ukrainian territory is “not up for discussion.” Zelenskyy has categorically rejected the idea of surrendering Ukrainian territory.
Britain, France and Germany, co-chairs of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing,” a group of 31 countries formed on March 2, 2025, to support Ukraine, set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
“Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the joint statement, published by Britain two days before a planned summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
“The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased.
“No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO.”
Reportedly, civic activists in The Last Frontier are planning to protest war criminal Putin’s presence in their state.
As for European fears of a Russian invasion meant to recapture lost territories, Estonia, among others, is set to allocate more than 10 billion euros ($11,650,350,000) over the next four years to strengthen its defense posture, with significant investments planned in air defense, ammunition stockpiles and unmanned systems.
Estonia has already acquired an array of advanced technologies, including Blue Spear anti-ship missiles and combat drones. Under the new 2026–29 development plan, further procurements are expected to bolster the country’s deterrence capabilities.
A central focus of the strategy is air defense. “A dedicated air defense brigade will be established, and Estonia will expand short, medium and long-range air defense capabilities by acquiring additional IRIS-T, Piorun and Mistral systems along with associated munitions,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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