European governments stepped up diplomacy over the weekend ahead of the 15 August meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska, warning that any settlement reached without Kyiv would jeopardise regional security. In a joint declaration, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Finland and the European Commission said “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,” and insisted that international borders must not be altered by force. They welcomed Washington’s push for negotiations but urged that pressure on Moscow, including sanctions, be maintained. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endorsed the European statement and repeated that a deal requiring territorial concessions would be a “dead solution.” Kyiv’s position was relayed during talks at Chevening House in southern England on Saturday, where U.S. Vice-President JD Vance met senior Ukrainian and European officials to seek common ground before the Alaska summit. The White House said Trump remains open to expanding the meeting into a trilateral format with Zelenskyy, yet is proceeding with a bilateral at Putin’s request while details are worked out. According to officials briefed on the discussions, Russia has asked that Ukraine cede the Donbas and Crimea in exchange for a cease-fire—terms that Kyiv and its European allies reject. European negotiators have tabled their own counter-proposal that calls for a cease-fire along the current line of contact and “robust and credible” security guarantees for Ukraine. With time short, EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas convened an extraordinary meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers for Monday, and several European heads of government are seeking direct talks with Trump before Friday’s summit. Separately, a Financial Times report said European capitals are pressing Washington to tighten sanctions on Moscow to strengthen the West’s leverage in Alaska.