Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on 13 August for a German-hosted video conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders, two days before Trump’s face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The call marked Kyiv’s first direct channel to Trump in the run-up to the summit, from which Ukraine and its European allies have been excluded. Participants said Trump signalled readiness to join a package of security guarantees for Ukraine, while insisting NATO should remain outside the framework. He also warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if Friday’s talks fail to deliver a cease-fire. French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders stressed that any territorial questions must be decided with Zelenskyy at the table—a direct rebuff to speculation about land swaps. Zelenskyy continued his diplomatic push on 14 August, meeting U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street. Starmer called the Alaska meeting “hugely important,” said international borders cannot be altered by force and pledged to tighten sanctions if Moscow resists a settlement. The two leaders reviewed options for a ‘coalition of the willing’ that could police any eventual peace agreement. On the battlefield, Ukraine and Russia traded overnight drone strikes, and Kyiv acknowledged Russian advances near Dobropillia in Donetsk. Separately, NATO announced a $500 million German-funded package of munitions for Ukraine, underscoring Europe’s effort to bolster Kyiv ahead of possible cease-fire talks. The Trump-Putin summit is set for 11:30 a.m. local time on 15 August at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, beginning with a one-on-one session before expanding to delegations. With European capitals anxious about the meeting’s outcome, Zelenskyy said he expects a follow-up discussion with Trump immediately afterward to assess any proposals tabled in Alaska.