Europe Rallies Trump Ahead Of High-Stakes Alaska Showdown With Putin

With just two days before his one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump is under intense pressure from European allies who fear the Russian leader could sway him on Ukraine.

In a last-ditch effort to shape Trump’s stance, European leaders held a tense virtual summit with him on Wednesday — a conversation that felt more like a locker-room pep talk before a championship match.

The allies emerged cautiously optimistic, saying Trump appeared sympathetic to their demands: an immediate ceasefire, Ukraine’s inclusion in all talks, and a clear path to future negotiations that don’t sideline Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed five agreed principles from the call:

1. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.

2. Prepare a joint U.S.-Russia-Ukraine summit.

3. Russia must accept a ceasefire before full peace talks.

4. Ukraine must receive firm security guarantees, free from Russian veto over its EU or NATO ambitions.

5. Fresh sanctions on Russia if it refuses a ceasefire in Alaska.

Two European diplomats told CNN that Trump pledged to push Putin for an unconditional ceasefire, framing it as a gesture of goodwill from Moscow. Publicly, Trump warned that Russia would face “very severe consequences” if Putin refuses.

“If this first meeting goes well, a second, more productive meeting between Putin and Zelensky could happen almost immediately,” Trump told reporters, speaking at the Kennedy Center.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who organized the virtual call, insisted Ukraine must be present at any follow-up summit. He also pushed back against Trump’s earlier remark that “there’ll be some land swapping,” stressing that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is non-negotiable.

Reports from Moscow suggest Putin recently floated a ceasefire deal that would see Ukraine cede the occupied Donbas region — a proposal shrouded in confusion and widely rejected in Kyiv.

Pressure Mounts Ahead of Alaska

Trump had previously given Putin an August 8 deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face new sanctions targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which has helped Moscow skirt oil sanctions and fund its war. That deadline passed without consequence, and now Trump says the threat of secondary sanctions is very much alive if the Alaska talks fail.

Zelensky dismissed Putin’s confidence, insisting sanctions are biting deeply into Russia’s war economy. “Putin can’t fool anyone,” he said.

Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, noted that Ukraine is urging Trump to wield his economic leverage. “The key is the stick — more sanctions or more military support,” Gabuev explained. But Ukraine, too, faces mounting strain, with Russian troops recently making small breakthroughs along its eastern front lines.

“The timeline is critical,” Gabuev warned. “Putin believes he has another 12 to 18 months. Ukraine doesn’t.”

As Friday approaches, the stage is set for a high-risk diplomatic clash in Alaska — one that could shift the trajectory of the war.