French President Emmanuel Macron warned on 9 August that “the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians,” after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 15 August meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska aimed at ending the more-than-three-year war. Macron, speaking after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, cautioned against any land-swap proposal reportedly floated by Trump and said Europeans must be involved because their security is at stake. Macron also consulted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer as European governments sought a common stance ahead of the Trump-Putin talks. In a later joint communiqué, several European leaders welcomed diplomatic efforts but insisted that Kyiv retain the right to determine its own future, that borders not be altered by force, and that meaningful negotiations can begin only once hostilities cease or are substantially reduced.