US: "Zelenskyy will also be invited" ... Will a trilateral summit with Russia be achieved?

"Trump persuades Putin for trilateral summit

Both Russia and Ukraine unlikely to be satisfied with ceasefire agreement"

Ukraine conducts backdoor diplomacy after being excluded from the summit

EU convenes emergency foreign ministers' meeting

Vance: "Considering inviting Alaska" ... Intense diplomatic efforts from all Nations

Ahead of the US-Russia summit to be held in Alaska on the 15th to discuss the end of the Ukraine war, fierce diplomatic activity is taking place among various countries. Europe, wary of being sidelined and seeking to contain Russian expansion, is pressuring for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to participate in the summit, including the country directly involved in the war, Ukraine.

◇ Vance: "Pushing for Zelenskyy’s participation"

On the 10th (local time), Vice President Vance said in a Fox News interview that US President Donald Trump is pursuing a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy. He explained that the lack of progress in mediation so far was because President Putin refused to meet President Zelenskyy, and relayed that President Trump persuaded President Putin. He also noted, "We will try to find a negotiated solution at the summit, but neither Russia nor Ukraine is likely to be satisfied," he speculated. The interview was conducted on the 8th.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker also mentioned that a summit including President Zelenskyy could be held. In a CNN interview, when asked if President Zelenskyy could attend the US-Russia summit, he replied, "I definitely think it's possible." However, he added that the final decision will be made by President Trump.

The US initially pushed for a trilateral summit including President Zelenskyy, but Russia reportedly rejected the idea. According to NBC, President Trump is open to a trilateral summit that includes President Zelenskyy, but for now, is planning the bilateral summit requested by President Putin first.

◇ "Ukraine’s security is Europe’s security"

Since the announcement of the US-Russia summit via President Trump's social media on the 8th, anxiety has increased in Ukraine and Europe. If President Zelenskyy does not attend this summit, Ukrainian territory could be ceded to Russia as per Russia's demands. President Trump even mentioned the possibility of territorial exchanges as part of a settlement. In response, President Zelenskyy emphasized in a speech on the 9th that he "will not concede any territory," and on the same day, Europe issued a joint statement saying, "Ukraine's path to peace cannot be decided without the involved parties."

While President Zelenskyy’s attendance at the Alaska summit remains uncertain, the European Union (EU) will convene an emergency foreign ministers' meeting on the 11th, insisting that Ukraine – and Europe – must be included in the US-Russia negotiations. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, "I have convened a special meeting to discuss the next steps." She added, "This is an issue concerning the security of Ukraine and of Europe as a whole" and reiterated that unilateral territorial concessions by Ukraine would not be accepted.

◇ Putin targets dismantling the fortress belt

President Putin also maintains an uncompromising stance. The Associated Press (AP) reported that President Putin sees this summit as an opportunity to secure a comprehensive agreement to bring Ukraine back under Russian influence.

According to CNN, the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analyzed that President Putin aims to use the US-Russia summit as a springboard for further military invasion. At the summit on the 15th, President Putin is expected to demand a withdrawal of Ukrainian forces across Donetsk. ISW pointed out that if Ukraine yields Donetsk to Russia, it would mean surrendering the “fortified belt,” the main line of defense since 2014. The fortress belt, stretching from Sloviansk to Kostiantynivka, serves as a supply hub for Ukrainian forces defending Donetsk. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, this line has blocked Russian advances and led to attritional warfare. Should Ukraine abandon this region, Russian forces could avoid a war of attrition and resume attacks under far more favorable conditions.

Some point out that President Putin may treat the Alaska summit as a forum akin to the Potsdam Conference 80 years ago, where great powers bargained over other countries' territories. The British newspaper The Telegraph on the 10th mentioned that the last recent example of a US President discussing the partitioning of European territory with a Russian dictator was the Potsdam Conference. Held at the end of World War II, that conference decided the division of European territories, allowing the Soviet Union to occupy vast parts of Eastern Europe. The leaders of European continent countries were unable to attend at that time. There is concern a similar scenario could unfold in Alaska.

Hyungye Kim hankyung@hankyung.com