Leaders in frantic cellphone diplomacy with Trump forward of Putin summit on Ukraine – Europe dwell | World information
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Morning opening: Howdy Donald, that is Europe talking
Jakub Krupa
European leaders will communicate with the US president, Donald Trump, and his vice-president, JD Vance, as we speak, consulting forward of this Friday’s summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Representing Staff Europe are the host, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
They are going to be joined by the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, and that well-known Trump-whisperer, the Nato secretary basic, Mark Rutte.
They are going to be additionally joined by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who in an additional present of unity together with his companions won’t solely be on the decision, however shall be becoming a member of the host in particular person in Berlin.
The collection of calls will start with inside consultations between European leaders and Zelenskyy round 2pm native time, adopted by a name with Trump an hour later and a debrief of “the coalition of the keen” later.
The decision with Trump would be the European leaders’ final likelihood to considerably form Trump’s ideas going into the assembly in Alaska on Friday, and repeat among the crimson traces put ahead by Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has beforehand mentioned Ukraine couldn’t comply with a Russian proposal to surrender extra of his nation’s territory in alternate for a ceasefire as a result of Moscow would use what it gained as a springboard to start out a future conflict.
Final week Russia indicated it was ready to contemplate a ceasefire within the Ukraine conflict for the primary time, in alternate for Ukraine withdrawing from the components of Donbas it nonetheless managed. Although Trump then recommended that Russia and Ukraine may have interaction in some “swapping of territories”, Zelenskyy mentioned he understood that Russia was “merely providing to not advance additional, to not withdraw from anyplace” and that swaps weren’t on the desk.
With rising uncertainty about which Trump will present as much as talks with Putin in Alaska on Friday – the one who repeatedly mentioned was “dissatisfied” with Putin, or the one who needs to reset relations with Moscow – this might be one of the consequential cellphone calls in years for Europe and Ukraine’s future.
I’ll deliver you all the important thing updates right here.
It’s Wednesday, 13 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Stay.
Good morning.
Key occasions
Putin to debate ‘all amassed points’ with Trump, Moscow says, dismissing consultations with Europe as ‘insignificant’
In the meantime, the Russian international ministry’s spokesperson Alexei Fadeev mentioned, in feedback relayed by Reuters, that Trump and Putin would talk about “all of the amassed points” within the US-Russia bilateral relations throughout their assembly on Friday, dismissing the consultations with European nations as “insignificant.”
Hungarian international minister criticises Zelenskyy
However whereas as we speak’s calls shall be all about projecting Europe’s unity behind Ukraine, Hungary is very clearly not eager on that in any respect.
After yesterday’s criticism from the nation’s prime minister Viktor Orbán, who refused to signal the EU27’s assertion backing Ukraine, his international minister Péter Szijjártó is the one taking purpose at Zelenskyy as we speak.
In a submit on social media quoting Zelenskyy’s requires ceasefire and peace talks, he mentioned:
“Hungary has been advocating a ceasefire and peace talks for 3.5 years. Ukraine would have been higher off if @ZelenskyyUa had finished the identical. Lots of of hundreds of lives may have been saved and thousands and thousands spared from fleeing their properties.”
It’s not completely stunning to see Szijjártó criticise Ukraine, although: he has lengthy been an advocate for nearer talks with Russia, having been awarded the Russian Order of Friendship in December 2021 and being a daily customer to Moscow in the previous few years.
In March, Bloomberg reported that Szijjártó visited the Russian capital no less than 13 instances for the reason that starting of the full-scale aggression on Ukraine in early 2022, elevating some issues amongst EU allies.
Ukraine confirms €500m mortgage to assist with emergency fuel purchases, power resilience
Simply hours earlier than the calls, Ukraine has introduced a €500m financing deal to assist with the nation’s power safety, signed by the European Financial institution for Reconstruction and Growth and assured by the EU.
The deal offers the state-owned oil and fuel firm Naftogaz a financing line, the EBRD’s largest single mortgage facility in Ukraine, to cowl emergency fuel purchases.
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko mentioned that “for the primary time, such a mortgage is supplied below EU assure, with no Ukrainian state assure.”
“This will permit Ukraine to higher put together for the heating season and supply Ukrainian properties with warmth and light-weight even on essentially the most tough days of winter,” she mentioned.
The EBRD’s press assertion mentioned:
The newest EBRD finance to Naftogaz follows main Russian assaults on the corporate’s upstream fuel manufacturing and processing amenities within the first half of 2025.
These have resulted in important manufacturing losses for the yr, as the corporate rebuilds its broken operations, and created the necessity for extra fuel imports.
Trump alone in a room with Putin is a recipe for catastrophe – simply look to their final assembly – evaluation
Andrew Roth
in Washington
The teachings of Helsinki are clear: placing Donald Trump alone in a room with Vladimir Putin is an unpredictable – and sometimes harmful – affair.
It was 2018 when the 2 leaders met on the invitation of Sauli Niinistö, the Finnish president, to debate a collapse in US-Russia relations, accusations of elections interference, and the grinding conflict in east Ukraine, amongst different subjects.
By the point he got here out of the room, Trump regarded dazzled by the Kremlin chief. Requested at a press convention concerning the conclusions of the US intelligence neighborhood that Russia had interfered within the elections, Trump mentioned: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any purpose why it might be.”
Someway, the stakes are even greater as Trump and Putin plan to fulfill on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, the place Trump has mentioned the 2 will talk about “land swapping” in Putin’s first assembly with a G7 chief since his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
European leaders are fearful that Trump may as soon as once more emerge from a closed-door assembly preaching the Kremlin gospel.
The White Home has been reducing expectations for the summit – an indication that no concrete deal is on the desk. “That is actually a feel-out assembly, a bit bit,” Trump mentioned throughout a information convention on Monday.
However Putin will nonetheless attempt his luck to form Trump’s picture of what a peace deal may entail in a approach that may deliver most profit to the Kremlin.
Putin “needs a cope with Trump that shall be introduced to Kyiv and different European capitals as a fait accompli,” wrote John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Heart and a former ambassador to Ukraine.
The lack of invitations for European leaders “has the odor of the Yalta Convention in 1945 … the place america, the Soviet Union, and the UK determined the destiny of half of Europe over the heads of these nations”.
Karoline Leavitt, the White Home press secretary, mentioned on Tuesday that the assembly between Trump and Putin can be one-on-one, and a “listening train” for Trump throughout which he may suss out the Russian standpoint.
“That’s the best way Trump does it. He simply wings it,” mentioned Fiona Hill, the previous presidential aide.
“And Putin likes sparring … he prides himself on having the ability to be mild on his toes in these sorts of settings,” she mentioned.
The shortage of advisers within the room has raised a key query: will any agreements made in a non-public setting, even when interpreters or different notetakers are current, result in lasting outcomes?
Stick collectively and work towards Russian ‘deception,’ Zelenskyy says earlier than name with Trump
In his newest replace earlier than travelling to Berlin, Zelenskyy repeated his key traces about “placing stress on Russia” to attain a peace settlement.
However in what looks like a pointed warning about Putin, he added:
We should study from the expertise of Ukraine, our companions, to stop deception by Russia. There isn’t a signal now that the Russians are getting ready to finish the conflict.
He mentioned that “our coordinated efforts and joint steps … can positively pressure Russia to make peace.”
Timings for the day
As a part of what guarantees to be a very busy day for diplomacy, we’re additionally anticipating to get press statements from Merz and Zelenskyy round 3pm BST (4pm CEST), after their name with Trump.
So that can assist you plan your day, the tough timings seem like:
1pm BST, 2pm CEST – Inner Europe name with Zelenskyy
2pm BST, 3pm CEST – Name with Trump and JD Vance
3pm BST, 4pm CEST – Press statements by Merz and Zelenskyy, name with “the coalition of the keen”
Zelenskyy anticipated in Berlin to affix Merz in particular person for Trump name, bilateral talks
The German authorities’s spokesperson has confirmed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy shall be “working in Berlin” as we speak, becoming a member of Merz in particular person for the decision with Trump and Vance.
The pair can be anticipated to fulfill for a separate bilateral assembly, anticipated to be a additional present of help from the German chancellor.
Morning opening: Howdy Donald, that is Europe talking
Jakub Krupa
European leaders will communicate with the US president, Donald Trump, and his vice-president, JD Vance, as we speak, consulting forward of this Friday’s summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Representing Staff Europe are the host, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
They are going to be joined by the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, and that well-known Trump-whisperer, the Nato secretary basic, Mark Rutte.
They are going to be additionally joined by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who in an additional present of unity together with his companions won’t solely be on the decision, however shall be becoming a member of the host in particular person in Berlin.
The collection of calls will start with inside consultations between European leaders and Zelenskyy round 2pm native time, adopted by a name with Trump an hour later and a debrief of “the coalition of the keen” later.
The decision with Trump would be the European leaders’ final likelihood to considerably form Trump’s ideas going into the assembly in Alaska on Friday, and repeat among the crimson traces put ahead by Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has beforehand mentioned Ukraine couldn’t comply with a Russian proposal to surrender extra of his nation’s territory in alternate for a ceasefire as a result of Moscow would use what it gained as a springboard to start out a future conflict.
Final week Russia indicated it was ready to contemplate a ceasefire within the Ukraine conflict for the primary time, in alternate for Ukraine withdrawing from the components of Donbas it nonetheless managed. Although Trump then recommended that Russia and Ukraine may have interaction in some “swapping of territories”, Zelenskyy mentioned he understood that Russia was “merely providing to not advance additional, to not withdraw from anyplace” and that swaps weren’t on the desk.
With rising uncertainty about which Trump will present as much as talks with Putin in Alaska on Friday – the one who repeatedly mentioned was “dissatisfied” with Putin, or the one who needs to reset relations with Moscow – this might be one of the consequential cellphone calls in years for Europe and Ukraine’s future.
I’ll deliver you all the important thing updates right here.
It’s Wednesday, 13 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Stay.
Good morning.
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