BERLIN (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on Wednesday to join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks with European and U.S. leaders ahead of the Trump-Putin summit later this week, the German government said. Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings on Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine's leaders heard ahead of a summit that they have been sidelined from. Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpand Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders of countries involved in the "coalition of the willing" — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last. On Wednesday, Merz pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repelRussia's invasion. Zelenskyy last visited Berlin in late May. The stakes for Europe Trump has said he wants to see whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about endingthe war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday's summit as "a feel-out meeting" where he can assess the Russian leader's intentions. Yet Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He has also said Russia must acceptland swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender. European allies havepushed for Ukraine's involvementin any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow. Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Trump said that following Friday's summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with "Putin and Zelenskyy and me." The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and usedRussia's energy mightto try to intimidate the European Union, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them. The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine. Land concessions a non-starter for Kyiv Zelenskyy said Tuesday thatPutinwants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part ofa ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected. Zelenskyyreiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying thatwould be unconstitutionaland would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion. He saiddiplomatic discussions led by the U.S.focusing on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations. Three weeks after Trump returned to office, his administration took the leverage of Ukraine's NATO membershipoff the table— something that Putin has demanded — and signaled that the EU and Ukraine must handle security in Europe now while America focuses its attention elsewhere. Trump has also routinely threatened and cajoled his NATO allies overdefense spending, and has shown little mercy in trade talks byhiking tariffson most EU imports to 15%, ostensibly for U.S. national security reasons. Senior EU officials believe that Trump may be satisfied with simply securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, and is probably more interested in broader U.S. geostrategic interests and great power politics, aiming to ramp up business with Russia and rehabilitate Putin. ___ Cook reported from Brussels.
