Key events
Zelenskyy expected in Berlin to join Merz in person for Trump call, bilateral talks
The German government’s spokesperson has confirmed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be “working in Berlin” today, joining Merz in person for the call with Trump and Vance.
The pair is also expected to meet for a separate bilateral meeting, expected to be a further show of support from the German chancellor.
Morning opening: Hello Donald, this is Europe speaking
Jakub Krupa
European leaders will speak with the US president, Donald Trump, and his vice-president, JD Vance, today, consulting ahead of this Friday’s summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Representing Team Europe are the host, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
They will be joined by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, and that famous Trump-whisperer, the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte.
They will be also joined by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who in a further show of unity with his partners will not only be on the call, but will be joining the host in person in Berlin.
The series of calls will begin with internal consultations between European leaders and Zelenskyy around 2pm local time, followed by a call with Trump an hour later and a debrief of “the coalition of the willing” later.
The call with Trump will be the European leaders’ last chance to substantially shape Trump’s thoughts going into the meeting in Alaska on Friday, and repeat some of the red lines put forward by Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has previously said Ukraine could not agree to a Russian proposal to give up more of his country’s territory in exchange for a ceasefire because Moscow would use what it gained as a springboard to start a future war.
Last week Russia indicated it was prepared to consider a ceasefire in the Ukraine war for the first time, in exchange for Ukraine withdrawing from the parts of Donbas it still controlled. Though Trump then suggested that Russia and Ukraine could engage in some “swapping of territories”, Zelenskyy said he understood that Russia was “simply offering not to advance further, not to withdraw from anywhere” and that swaps were not on the table.
With growing uncertainty about which Trump will show up to talks with Putin in Alaska on Friday – the one who repeatedly said was “disappointed” with Putin, or the one who wants to reset relations with Moscow – this could be one of the most consequential phone calls in years for Europe and Ukraine’s future.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Wednesday, 13 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
