European leaders urge pressure on Russia ahead of summit

EUROPEAN leaders urged more “pressure” on Russia overnight at the weekend, after the announcement of a Trump-Putin summit to end the war in Ukraine raised concern that an agreement would require Kyiv to cede swathes of territory.

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Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the US state of Alaska this Friday to try to resolve the three-year conflict, despite warnings from Ukraine and Europe that Kyiv must be part of negotiations.

Announcing the summit last week, Trump said that “there'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” sides, without elaborating.

But President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Ukraine won't surrender land to Russia to buy peace.

“Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,’ he said on social media.

“Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace,” he added.

Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’ allies to take “clear steps” towards achieving a sustainable peace during a call with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

European leaders issued a joint statement overnight Saturday to Sunday saying that “only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation to end their illegal war can succeed”.