Carney, world leaders meet ahead of Trump-Putin summit on Ukraine war

U.S. Political Analyst Eric Ham on the concerns EU leaders and President Zelensky are feeling ahead of the meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday.

OTTAWA — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney met virtually Wednesday with the “Coalition of the Willing” -- a group of nations that have agreed to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion -- ahead of ceasefire negotiations set for Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska on Friday to talk about ending the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not invited to Friday’s summit, prompting concerns from Kyiv’s allies, who scrambled to convene meetings to ensure Ukraine’s concerns are heard.

“It is vital to secure credible guarantees to enable Ukraine to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Carney said in a statement issued after the meeting.

He also emphasized that “decisions on the future of Ukraine must be made by Ukrainians.”

Wednesday’s meeting was chaired by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelenskyy was in attendance in Berlin alongside Merz, and the rest of the leaders joined virtually, including Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Zelenskyy told the group that he hoped an immediate ceasefire would be the central topic on Friday but also argued Putin “definitely does not want peace.” He said the Russian leader was bluffing about the impact of sanctions imposed by Western allies and the strength of his country’s capabilities.

Trump warned on Wednesday that there will be “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war, which ramped up with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He did not specify what those consequences might be.

He also said he wanted to convene a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy after Friday’s summit. The U.S. president has been clear about his goal to broker an end to the war, which he once boasted he could achieve on his first day in office.

Carney and European leaders are worried the Alaska summit could result in an agreement that involves Ukraine giving up territory now controlled by Russia. Trump has said some land swaps may be part of such an agreement to end the fighting.

Macron told reporters Wednesday that Trump was very clear he wants to achieve a ceasefire on Friday.

Merz said after the meeting that important decisions could be made in Alaska, but he stressed that “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected.”

“Ukraine must sit at the table as soon as there are followup meetings,” he said.

-- With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.