European leaders urge for Ukraine to be included in Trump-Putin Alaska peace talks

European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Fredrich Merz, have urged for Ukraine to be included in the upcoming peace talks between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. They emphasized that any path to peace in Ukraine must involve Ukraine and cannot be decided without their participation. The leaders also stressed the need for robust security guarantees for Ukraine to defend its territory. This follows a meeting between U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Ukrainian and European officials in London. Vance described the Alaska summit as a major breakthrough for American diplomacy, aiming for a negotiated settlement that both Ukraine and Russia can live with, though neither side may be entirely satisfied. The summit is a result of months of diplomatic efforts to break the stalemate in the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supports Trump's peace efforts but has not confirmed his attendance. Zelenskyy maintains that Ukraine will not cede any land and that Russia must end the war, which it started and continues to prolong.