KYIV/LONDON, Aug 11 (Alliance News): European leaders and Ukraine are urging the United States to adopt a firmer negotiating position before President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15, amid fears a deal could favour Moscow.
On Saturday, European officials presented Washington with their own peace proposals during talks at Chevening House in southeast England, where US Vice President JD Vance met Ukrainian and European allies to discuss Trump’s peace push.
Trump announced Friday that he would meet Putin in Alaska, suggesting a settlement was near and could involve “swapping of territories” — a prospect Kyiv and its allies warn could embolden Russian aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any territorial concessions, saying, “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the European counterproposal calls for a ceasefire before other steps and insists any territorial exchanges be reciprocal with binding security guarantees.
A US official described the Chevening talks as “hours-long” and said they produced “significant progress toward President Trump’s goal” of ending the war, though it was unclear if European proposals were formally discussed with Washington.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to work toward a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine and voiced support for Trump’s efforts to halt the conflict. Macron stressed that Ukraine’s future “cannot be decided without the Ukrainians” and that Europe’s security is also at stake.
The diplomatic manoeuvring comes as fighting continues along the 1,000-kilometre eastern and southern front, where Russian forces hold about 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Moscow claims full control over Crimea and four partially occupied Ukrainian regions, and has demanded Kyiv withdraw from all territory under its claim.
Despite the peace push, analysts remain sceptical. Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre called the initiative “the first more or less realistic attempt” to end the war but warned any new commitments “could be devastating for Ukraine.”
Ukrainians remain defiant, with residents in Kyiv honouring fallen soldiers and vowing to resist any deal involving territorial surrender.
