Ukraine and its European allies firmly oppose any decision on land swaps being made between the United States and Russia without their involvement ahead of a summit scheduled this week. However, European officials acknowledge that Russia is unlikely to willingly return the Ukrainian territories it currently controls.
Ahead of Friday’s summit in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that a peace agreement might include “some swapping of territories.” But European leaders see no indication that Moscow is prepared to offer any territorial concessions. Notably, Ukraine and European representatives have not been invited to the summit.
European Union foreign ministers gathered Monday after weekend discussions among U.S. and European security advisors on Ukraine. They expressed concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might try to portray Kyiv as uncooperative to claim a political win.
There are growing worries in Europe and Ukraine that Kyiv could be pressured into relinquishing land or accepting limits on its sovereignty. Both Ukraine and its European backers reject any preconditions that allow Putin to claim Ukrainian territory before a ceasefire is agreed.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized, “International law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine,” adding that “aggression cannot be rewarded.”
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stressed that territorial matters should not be decided by Russia and the U.S. “over the heads” of Ukrainians and Europeans.
Still, the reality on the ground complicates the situation. Russia annexed parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in 2022, although it does not fully control them. The Crimean Peninsula remains under Russian occupation since 2014.
The front line stretches over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), where Russia’s larger forces have made slow but costly advances this summer. The intense fighting has killed over 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to U.N. estimates.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged on CBS that any peace talks after Alaska must address the fact that Russia currently controls parts of Ukraine. While Western allies reject recognizing this control legally, they may have to accept it in practice—similar to how the U.S. hosted Baltic states’ diplomatic missions despite Soviet control from 1940 to 1991.
For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, conceding any territory without a ceasefire would be politically difficult after heavy losses.
Observers believe Putin’s real aim is not the land itself, but to secure a more Russia-friendly Ukraine with a pliant government unlikely to pursue NATO membership—mirroring pro-Russian areas in Georgia that blocked its NATO aspirations.
Zelenskyy insists that halting the fighting must be the first step in negotiations, a position supported by Europe. They say any land swaps should be decided by Ukraine and not used as a ceasefire precondition.
Land issues may also be linked to security guarantees Ukraine seeks to prevent future conflicts. Europeans advocate for strong Ukrainian armed forces without limits on size, equipment, or weapon sales.
They further insist Ukraine should have full freedom to choose its path—whether EU membership or neutrality—despite the Trump administration’s earlier removal of NATO membership from the table for now.
