Trump-Putin Alaska meeting prompts European ministers powwoow

The European Union made their position on President Donald Trump’s “land swapping” push clear following a ministerial powwow on Monday, and told Fox News Digital, there should be no “concessions” until Russia agrees to stop its war.

“Russia has not agreed to full and unconditional ceasefire, we should not even discuss any concessions,” EU policy chief Kaja Kallas told Fox News Digital in a written statement. “It has never worked in the past with Russia, and will not work with Putin today.

“The sequencing of the steps is important,” she added. “First an unconditional ceasefire with a strong monitoring system and ironclad security guarantees.”

Kallas called for a virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers — as well as Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha who debriefed the officials on “ongoing diplomatic efforts and the battlefield situation” on Monday — following the announcement of the upcoming meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin set for Friday in Alaska. 

While the talks on Monday addressed additional sanctions against Russia, more military aid for Ukraine and more monetary support for Kyiv, they also coincided with comments made by Trump that struck a critical note of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

European leaders have yet to respond directly to Trump’s reproving tone ahead of his meeting with Putin on Friday, though Kallas’ comments made clear neither the EU nor Ukraine support Trump’s most recent proposal that Ukraine and Russia “swap” borders.

“We fully support an end to this war in a way that doesn’t leave a backdoor open for Russia to re-enter and restart its aggression,” she said. “Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign nation is under attack, as well as the security of our European continent.”

SUMMIT WITH PUTIN SET TO TOP TRUMP’S AGENDA THIS WEEK AS UKRAINE WAR TAKES CENTER STAGE

Details of Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin remain relatively unknown, though European officials are keen to remind both leaders of the need to involve them and Kyiv in the high-level talks. 

“The U.S. has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,” Kallas told Fox News Digital. “Any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a…