**European Leaders Seek Talks with Trump Before Putin Meeting**
The European Union is seeking to have a word with US President Donald Trump before his highly anticipated meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska later this week. This move comes as the EU and other world leaders are trying to navigate the complex diplomacy surrounding Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, the outreach to Trump is aimed at influencing his discussions with Putin, which are scheduled for August 15. The news outlet reported that people familiar with the matter confirmed the move.
Over the weekend, US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and EU ambassadors in London. This diplomatic push was part of ongoing talks between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, which has been fighting a war against Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
**Ukraine Rejects Territory Concessions**
In related news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has flatly rejected the idea of ceding any Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for peace. Putin had proposed that Ukraine withdraw its forces from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which are partly occupied by Russian-backed separatists, and grant Moscow full control over those regions as well as Crimea.
Zelensky’s strong rejection of this proposal was echoed by other EU leaders, who reiterated that “international borders must not be changed by force” and that the current front line should be the starting point for negotiations. The US has also made it clear that it will support Ukraine in its territorial integrity.
**NATO Secretary General Weighs In**
In an interview with ABC’s This Week on August 10, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested that any agreement between Russia and Ukraine would “have to be on the table” in terms of territory, along with security guarantees for Ukraine. He hinted that this could mean Kyiv acknowledging the loss of control over certain areas without formally renouncing sovereignty.
However, it remains unclear whether Moscow is willing to relinquish occupied territory, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
**Putin’s War Aims**
Putin has made it clear that his war aims include Ukraine adopting a neutral status, abandoning its NATO aspirations, and accepting the loss of Crimea and four other regions Moscow claims to have annexed in 2022. These demands have been met with skepticism by Western leaders, who are pushing for a ceasefire based on the current front line as a first step toward a broader settlement.
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