More than two weeks on from the Alaska summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, the end of the war in Ukraine does not appear to be any closer.
Trump claimed at the time that he was close to a breakthrough that could lead to a bilateral meeting between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But that does not seem to be any closer either.
Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine would “remind everyone about it” as Trump’s semi-deadline of “two, maybe three weeks” symbolically expires today.
On Friday, French president Emmanuel Macron warned that if Putin missed the Monday deadline, it would be yet another example of him trying to ‘play’ Trump – something that, Macron said, could not go unanswered and should prompt further sanctions.
But attending a summit in China over the weekend, the Russian president repeated his hardline position, reiterating his opposition to Ukraine’s plans to join Nato and calling for “a fair balance in the security sphere,” which is widely seen as shorthand for his expansive demands on Europe’s security.
“In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it suspected Russian involvement in the murder of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy over the weekend.
“We know that this crime was not accidental. There is a Russian involvement. Everyone will be held accountable before the law,” police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi said on Facebook, Reuters reported.
It all suggests another busy week, as leaders try to find new ways forward.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Monday, 1 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
And as if on cue, we are now getting reports that Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Paris on Thursday to discuss the next steps and what can be done to raise pressure on Russia, a source told AFP.
“We’re planning such a meeting” between Zelensky and “European leaders”, the source said, adding that Trump “is not so far expected to be there.”
More than two weeks on from the Alaska summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, the end of the war in Ukraine does not appear to be any closer.
Trump claimed at the time that he was close to a breakthrough that could lead to a bilateral meeting between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But that does not seem to be any closer either.
Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine would “remind everyone about it” as Trump’s semi-deadline of “two, maybe three weeks” symbolically expires today.
On Friday, French president Emmanuel Macron warned that if Putin missed the Monday deadline, it would be yet another example of him trying to ‘play’ Trump – something that, Macron said, could not go unanswered and should prompt further sanctions.
But attending a summit in China over the weekend, the Russian president repeated his hardline position, reiterating his opposition to Ukraine’s plans to join Nato and calling for “a fair balance in the security sphere,” which is widely seen as shorthand for his expansive demands on Europe’s security.
“In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it suspected Russian involvement in the murder of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy over the weekend.
“We know that this crime was not accidental. There is a Russian involvement. Everyone will be held accountable before the law,” police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi said on Facebook, Reuters reported.
It all suggests another busy week, as leaders try to find new ways forward.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Monday, 1 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.