EU leaders’ critical message ahead of Trump-Putin summit

"The road to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine. The interests of Ukraine and Europe must be protected."

European Union leaders issued a notable joint statement ahead of the meeting between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin, scheduled for August 15, to address the war in Ukraine.

While welcoming Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine and to establish a fair and lasting peace and security, the EU leaders—without the participation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—stated:

"The Ukrainian people must have the freedom to decide their own future. The road to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine."

The 26 EU leaders stressed that any diplomatic solution must safeguard the vital security interests of both Ukraine and Europe.

The statement, which confirmed support for Ukraine on its path toward EU membership, was not endorsed by Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán. He wrote on social media:"For EU leaders, the only logical action is to launch an EU-Russia summit based on the example of the U.S.-Russia talks. Let’s give peace a chance!"

🔶 Having defined the 3.5-year-long war as an existential threat and having allocated more than $160 billion so far, the EU is uncomfortable about being left out of the Alaska summit. They are also concerned that a possible peace agreement may fail to deter future Russian aggression.

🔶 On August 10, the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, declared in a joint statement that the path to peace cannot be decided without Ukraine, and called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to participate in the summit.

🔶 Trump, on the other hand, announced that he would meet with Zelensky after his meeting with Putin.

At the invitation of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, an online meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday with the participation of Trump, Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the EU leadership, and some European leaders.

Source: Habertürk

Image: ShutterStock