German MEP: Trump must decide whether he supports Putin's position or Europeans'

United States President Donald Trump should decide whether he supports the position of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin or that of his European allies, said Michael Gahler, a member of the European Parliament from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. He expressed this opinion in a commentary to LIGA.net for analysis of the peace talks that took place on August 18 in Washington.

According to the MP, it is important that European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy send a single message: Europe's security is under threat.

"Trump has to decide whether he supports Putin's position or the position of his European allies. We are still convinced that the first step to end the war is a ceasefire, and negotiations should start after that," said Galer.

MEP believes Trump should recognize that if someone refuses to comply with the ceasefire, sanctions should be imposed directly on Russia.

He also added that if the issue of joining NATO is not currently relevant, although it is the best security guarantee, Ukraine's individual partners, including the United States, should make commitments that are equivalent to those of Article 5.

"We need to convince Trump that any actual presence of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory does not mean legal recognition of these territories as part of Russia," the parliamentarian emphasized.

• On August 16, 2025, Trump said after talks with Putin in Alaska and a conversation with Zelensky that a peace deal, not just a ceasefire, was needed to end the war.
• On August 18, Trump met with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House. Read about this and other events in LIGA.net's chronicle of the talks.
• After the talks, the US president said that he was preparing a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.