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High-stakes negotiations that could decide the future of Eastern Europe must include Ukraine, top European diplomats have warned, after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to hold talks.
“Peace can only be achieved together. And that means: with Ukraine and with the Europeans,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told POLITICO following Trump’s announcement of a dialogue with the Russian leader on Wednesday. “We must take this path together so that peace returns to Europe.”
Also speaking to POLITICO, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said: “Ukrainian agency in any peace talks is crucially important.”
According to Braže, while any diplomacy would have to involve Kyiv, “in order to have successful peace deal, Russia needs to be weakened on the battlefield. Russia’s politics, economics, religion, media, private sector, religion — it is all oriented towards war. Thus, Russia has to be forced to peace.”
In a readout issued Wednesday, the Kremlin said Trump and Putin had spoken for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, the American president posted on Truth Social that the two leaders have “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”
“We will begin by calling President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump added.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said earlier on Wednesday that Ukraine will not join NATO, and that Europe must be responsible for its own defense. In a fiery rebuke, Zelenskyy said later the same day that “Putin does not want to end the war,” and called on Trump to provide “real security guarantees.”
After speaking with Trump, Zelenskyy said: “No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.”
“We agreed to maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings,” he added.
Trump subsequently confirmed that Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Zelenskyy on Friday in Munich. Noting his call with the Ukrainian leader, the U.S. president said: “The conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE.”
Braže — who flew into Washington last week for talks with Trump’s political allies and to make the case for stronger relations with the U.S. — said her priority would continue to be providing military and other support for Ukraine.
She added: “Degrading Russia’s military capabilities is the way to peace. Investing in Ukraine’s strength is investing in peace. And making Russia weaker is investing in peace. And sanctions and their effective implementation is an important element in that.”
European officials have long feared Trump’s historically warm personal relationship with Putin could see them cut out of any high-level discussions about the future of their continent. The Republican has previously described his Russian counterpart’s decision to begin his brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine as “genius” and “savvy.”
Speaking last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a unified front against Moscow, saying “no one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. But there is only one path to the just and lasting peace they are longing for. And this runs through military and financial strength for Ukraine.”
Veronika Melkozerova in Kyiv contributed to this report.
