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Top European leaders have confirmed that they will hold a series of virtual meetings with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and NATO officials this week to coordinate their stance ahead of Trump’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Getting into it: The talks were coordinated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who invited key European heads of government, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to join discussions aimed at shaping the diplomatic agenda before the Alaska meeting. According to the German chancellery, the meetings will focus on “further options for action to put pressure on Russia” and on preparing for possible peace negotiations that address both territorial disputes and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.

EU officials have also been stressing the urgency of ensuring Ukraine’s direct involvement in any negotiations, warning that neither the US nor Russia should make decisions about Ukrainian territory without Kyiv’s consent. These concerns are rising amid reports that Trump and Putin could agree on territorial “swaps” or concessions before a ceasefire is even in place, a scenario the EU sees as unacceptable.

Instead, EU officials are advocating for talks that halt fighting first, followed by negotiations on political arrangements, with any territorial issues to be determined solely by Ukraine.

In preparation for these talks, the EU has vowed to ramp up both sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. After chairing a meeting of foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed that the bloc would work on expanding punitive measures against Russia, increasing military support, and boosting Ukraine’s budgetary resilience. The goal, she said, is to combine diplomatic pressure with concrete support so that Ukraine enters any negotiations from a position of strength.