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France Says Trump to Join “Coalition of the Willing” as He Presses Putin for Ukraine Ceasefire in Alaska Talks
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
President Donald Trump plans to press Russian leader Vladimir Putin for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine when the two meet in Alaska later this week—and says the US will join European allies in offering Kyiv security guarantees if fighting stops, according to the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on August 13.
Barrot said Trump conducted a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
A l’Ukraine et ses alliés rassemblés aujourd’hui, le président Trump a affirmé clairement qu’il demanderait un cessez-le-feu inconditionnel à Vladimir Poutine, que les négociations territoriales ne se tiendraient qu’en présence de @ZelenskyyUa lors d’une rencontre ultérieure, et… pic.twitter.com/vMeWFPC6b0
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) August 13, 2025
“Trump made it clear he will demand from Putin an unconditional ceasefire,” Barrot wrote, adding that any talks on territorial issues “will take place only with President Zelenskyy present at the next meeting.”
The US, he said, will join a “coalition of the willing”—led by France, the UK, and Germany—to provide Ukraine with security assurances.
According to NBC News, Trump told European counterparts on a separate call last Wednesday that he will not discuss dividing Ukrainian territory during his Alaska summit with Putin. His stated goal: securing a ceasefire first.
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Sources familiar with the call—including two European officials—said all participants agreed Ukraine must be directly involved in any negotiations and decide for itself whether to make territorial concessions.
One source said achieving a ceasefire would be Trump’s “top priority” in Alaska; another stressed there will be no territorial talks without Ukraine at the table.
European capitals have been exploring security guarantees without the US, but want Washington’s backing. Trump has signaled openness to supporting such guarantees—on the condition they are not part of NATO—and only if a ceasefire is reached.
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Trump has long opposed direct lethal aid to Ukraine, but has allowed European nations to purchase US weapons for transfer to Kyiv—a move his team says has pressured Moscow and helped draw Putin to negotiations.
With the Alaska summit just days away, the stakes are high. As one European official put it: “We’re aligned on the need for a ceasefire—but what happens when it’s just Trump and Putin in the room is another matter.”
Earlier, reports emerged that Trump was preparing to offer Putin a series of economic incentives to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
These proposals will be presented during their highly anticipated meeting on Friday, which will take place in Trump’s offer to Putin includes access to Alaska’s rich natural resources, lifting some sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry, and providing access to the rare earth minerals in Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russian forces.
