European leaders, Poland end meeting on Putin talks, issue joint statement
The European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, have wrapped up discussions on the US-Russia meeting in Alaska and issued a joint statement on Saturday.
"...We listened to Volodymyr Zelensky's (Ukraine's president - PAP) opinion on the matter and prepared a joint statement," Tusk wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
He took to the same platform hours later, reflecting on the Alaska Summit in a post reading: "The game for the future of Ukraine, the security of Poland and the entire Europe has entered the decisive phase. Today, we see that Russia respects the strong ones only." In closing, Tusk urged the West to unite.
The statement was issued by Polish Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa. It came on the heels of the leaders' call with US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday.
"Leaders welcomed President Trump's efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia's war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace," the statement read. "As President Trump said, 'there's no deal until there's a deal'. As envisioned by President Trump, the next step must now be further talks, including President Zelenskyy, whom he will meet soon," it continued.
Poland's Government Spokesperson, Adam Szlapka, commented on the statement at a press conference in Warsaw on Saturday, saying: "It's important that territorial matters depend on Ukraine. In short, Europe's position is: 'Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.'"
During a thirty-minute high-level European leaders' call with Trump earlier on Saturday, which included Polish President Karol Nawrocki and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the US president briefed participants on his peace negotiations with Putin. Joining Trump on the call were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's trusted foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Friday US-Russia talks were followed by the presidents' joint statement to the media and left without talking to any questions from the reporters, with both Trump and Putin calling the almost-three-hour talks "constructive." The leaders fell short in reaching a ceasefire agreement, and the US president admitted that many issues remained unresolved, though he noted broad areas of agreement with Putin.(PAP)
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