Sidelined

Ukraine and its European allies expressed shock and concern following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over plans to meet for peace negotiations, raising fears that Kyiv’s future will be decided without its participation, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

On Wednesday, the US leader held separate calls with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump later told reporters, “I think we’re on the way to getting peace,” but remained vague about Ukraine’s role in negotiations.

The White House confirmed that Trump and Putin plan to meet soon, likely in Saudi Arabia, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “premature” to discuss any role for Europe in the process.

But the announcement unsettled European leaders, particularly those in NATO, where officials have long insisted that Ukraine must be directly involved in any negotiations.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the Trump-Putin call as “out of the blue,” while French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the situation was a “moment of political truth” that could have lasting consequences for European security.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk added on X, “Ukraine, Europe, and the United States should work together – TOGETHER,” urging unity against potential US-Russia back-channel negotiations.

Similarly, Zelenskyy reacted sharply, stressing that his country “will not accept any agreements made without us.”

The development follows a shift in US policy that has alarmed Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO leaders in Brussels that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was “unrealistic” and that NATO membership should not be considered part of a peace settlement, according to Euronews.

The statements have raised concerns that Washington is making concessions to Moscow before negotiations even begin, weakening Ukraine’s position at the bargaining table.

Mykola Bilieskov, a political analyst linked to the Ukrainian presidential office, called it “frightening” that Washington appears willing to shape a settlement at Ukraine’s expense.

“Russia would pocket everything and then violate all promises,” he told the Washington Post, adding that such an agreement would not be accepted by the Ukrainian public.

Some Ukrainian officials expressed private frustration, with one military officer calling the US “an unreliable partner” and describing Trump’s call as “the greatest disappointment” in US-Ukraine relations.

Despite concerns, other officials remain cautiously hopeful that the situation is still evolving, noting that it was too early to assess the full implications of Trump’s outreach to Putin.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will mark its three-year anniversary later this month. Next week, the Munich Security Conference in Germany will hold its annual meeting. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with senior US officials to push for stronger security guarantees, Radio Free Europe wrote.