Following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, European leaders held a phone conversation with Trump to discuss the implications of the summit.
The call, which lasted for one hour, included French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Polish leader Karol Nawrocki, as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed the development, stating, “every step forward towards peace, like this one, is good news.
As Pope Leo said, may diplomacy speak again in place of weapons, without anyone obstructing it.” This sentiment was echoed by other European leaders, who emphasized the need for continued diplomatic efforts to address the ongoing conflict.
However, not all reactions were entirely positive. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed concerns about Putin’s stance, noting that the Russian president “reiterated known arguments, such as emphasising the so-called ‘root causes’ of the war, which is code for the Russian justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine.” Eide stressed the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia and listening to Ukraine’s wishes and needs.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky also criticized Putin’s comments, saying he was “glad that President Trump is trying to stop the war” but noting that Putin’s rhetoric about the conflict’s roots was “propagandistic nonsense.”
Lipavsky emphasized that the problem lies in Russian imperialism, not Ukraine’s desire for freedom. “If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,” he added.
Lithuania’s Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene accused Putin of making “some more gaslighting and veiled threats” towards Ukraine and Europe during the press conference.
She referenced Putin’s statement that he hoped countries would not try to sabotage the talks, implying that Russia is still not committed to genuine diplomacy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán took a slightly different tone, writing on Facebook, “For years, we have watched the two largest nuclear powers eliminate the framework of their cooperation and send messages to each other.”
He added, “It’s over now. The world is a safer place today than it was yesterday.” Orbán’s comments suggest a more optimistic view of the summit’s outcome, although the implications of his statement are subject to interpretation.