Conflict and Peace

European Union leaders have appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to defend their security interests at a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday 15 August over the war in Ukraine. EU leaders are doing their best to exert some influence over the summit that they have been sidelined from. It remains unclear whether even Ukraine will take part but EU leaders underlined that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.” According to AP, Trump has said that he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war now in its fourth year. In a statement on Tuesday 12 August, EU leaders said that they “welcome the efforts of President Trump towards ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” The European Union will make a fresh attempt to rally Trump to Ukraine’s cause on Wednesday at virtual meetings convened by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump did not confirm whether he would take part, but he stated: “I’m going to get everybody’s ideas” before meeting with Putin.