Trump, Zelenskyy, NATO nations set for virtual meeting ahead of Trump-Putin summit

President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of numerous NATO countries were set to hold a virtual meeting Wednesday ahead of Friday’s scheduled summit in Alaska between Mr. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Trump is slated to be in the White House.

Zelenskyy will join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin , the German government said.

Merz is convening a series of virtual meetings Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukrainian leaders heard ahead of the summit, which they’ve been sidelined from.

Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Mr. Trump and Vice President Vance about an hour later. A call among leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” – those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv – will be last.

Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine and its allies must work together push Russia to end its invasion, French news agency AFP reported. 

“Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace. We must learn from the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception on the part of Russia. There are currently no signs that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” Zelensky said in a social media statement. 

On Wednesday, Merz pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia’s invasion.

Mr. Trump has said he wants to see whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday’s summit as “a feel-out meeting” where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions.

Yet Mr. Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He has also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.

European allies have pushed for Ukraine’s involvement in any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow.

Mr. Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Mr. Trump said that following Friday’s summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.”

Zelenskyy warned that “talks about us, without us, will not work.”

Ukrainian and European concerns

The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy might to try to intimidate the European Union, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.

The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.

He said diplomatic discussions led by the U.S. focusing on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations and rehabilitate Putin.

Trump-Putin summit to take place on Alaskan military base

The summit between Mr. Trump and Putin will be the first in-person meeting between Putin and a sitting U.S. president since Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago.

The meeting will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, on the northern edge of Anchorage, a senior White House official told CBS News Tuesday. Given that it is peak tourist season in Alaska, there were few viable options to host the talks. Possible venues for the high-stakes meeting also needed to meet security requirements.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Tuesday that the mechanics of the meeting were “still being ironed out.”

Leavitt described the meeting as “a listening exercise for the president.” 

“Only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end,” Leavitt said.

Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room Monday, Mr. Trump expressed optimism that his meeting with Putin will be “constructive,” and said that he is planning to establish an in-person meeting involving Putin and Zelenskyy. 

“The next meeting will be with Zelenskyy and Putin or Zelenskyy and Putin and me,” Mr. Trump said. 

Two sources familiar with those negotiations told CBS News Tuesday that the U.S. is working on a site for a Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meeting as soon as the end of next week.