Ukraine and its European allies demanded yesterday to be included in any kind of peace talks, after US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and said that Kiev would not regain all of its territory or become a member of NATO.
Russian financial markets surged and the price of Ukrainian debt rose on the prospect of the first talks after nearly three years of the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
However, Trump's unilateral initiative towards Putin, accompanied by apparent concessions on key Ukrainian demands, has raised concerns in Kiev and among European NATO allies, who have expressed fear that the White House could reach a deal without them.
“We, as a sovereign state, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without our participation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He also stressed that Putin is trying to reduce the negotiations to bilateral ones with the United States and that it is crucial that he is not allowed to do so.
The Kremlin said preparations were underway for a meeting between Putin and Trump, possibly in Saudi Arabia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine would "of course" participate in some way in the peace talks, but that there would also be a separate channel for bilateral negotiations between the US and Russia.
European officials have taken a tough stance in public against Trump's peace initiative, stressing that any agreement would be impossible to implement unless they and the Ukrainians were included in the negotiations.
“Any quick fix is a dirty deal,” said European foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas. She also condemned the apparent concessions offered upfront. “Why are we giving them (Russia) everything they want, even before the negotiations have started?” Kalas asked. “That’s appeasement. It’s never worked.”
A European diplomat told Reuters that ministers had agreed to hold a "frank and demanding dialogue" with US officials - one of the harshest expressions in diplomatic jargon - at the annual Munich Security Conference, which begins today.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he had spoken with Putin and then with Zelensky and stressed that he believed both wanted peace.
However, the Trump administration has for the first time openly stated that it is unrealistic to expect Ukraine to return to its 2014 borders or become a member of NATO. It has also been emphasized that US troops will not participate in the ceasefire enforcement forces in Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett, who unveiled the new policy in a speech at NATO headquarters, said yesterday that the world was lucky that Trump, "the best negotiator on the planet," was bringing the two sides together to negotiate peace.
Hegseth dismissed criticism of Washington's strategy in negotiations with Russia and warned Europe not to treat America as a "sucker" by shifting responsibility for its own defense to it. "Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into an 'Uncle Sucker,'" Hegseth told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
He reiterated the position that Europe should take primary responsibility for the defense of the European continent and rejected claims that it was undermining NATO or European security.
“NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but for it to survive in the future, our partners must do much more to defend Europe. We must make NATO great again,” he said.
Peskov said Moscow was "impressed" by Trump's willingness to seek a solution.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and pro-Russian rebels seized territory in the east in 2014, before Moscow launched an invasion in 2022 and seized additional territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine managed to push back Russian forces advancing towards Kiev and regain large swathes of territory in 2022, but its numerically and technically weaker forces have since gradually lost ground after a failed counteroffensive in 2023. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been wounded and killed in the fighting - there is no reliable casualty count - and Ukrainian cities have been devastated.
Meanwhile, the positions of both sides remain irreconcilable. Moscow demands that Kiev cede additional territory and become permanently militarily neutral, while Kiev insists that Russian troops withdraw and that Ukraine receive security guarantees comparable to NATO membership to prevent future attacks.
Ukrainian officials have previously acknowledged that full NATO membership may be unattainable in the short term and that a hypothetical peace agreement could leave part of the occupied territory under Russian control.
However, Kiev and its European allies have made it clear that they are concerned about what they see as concessions by the Trump administration on these key issues even before the negotiations begin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said that Kiev remains committed to NATO membership, which, according to him, is the simplest and cheapest way for the West to provide the security guarantees needed to ensure peace.
“All our allies have said that Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible. It’s enshrined in our constitution. It’s our strategic interest.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister known for his ability to bridge differences between Europe and Washington, said it was important for Moscow to understand that the West remains united. He also noted that Ukraine was never promised that a peace agreement would include membership in the alliance.
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