Telegraph: Britain asks Merz, Macron and Callas not to comment on Trump-Putin meeting

British officials have called on European Union leaders to stop "unhelpful constant commentary" on the upcoming peace talks on Ukraine between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This was reported by the newspaper The Telegraph with reference to unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.

Officials are increasingly concerned about public comments on Ukraine's future by individuals such as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas.

They fear that public demands to the US president could have the opposite effect and force him to exclude Europe from the negotiations entirely.

The interlocutors pointed to the fact that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not made any public comments on the discussions since the joint statement on Saturday night, instead choosing to influence from behind the scenes.

Downing Street figures have long argued privately that the best way to influence Trump is to use access and influence behind closed doors, rather than publicly urging him to take a position.

One British official said there was concern about "useless comments" by European leaders about the Trump-Putin talks.

"Unlike our European counterparts, we do not make public demands of the Americans. A lot of the way Europeans behave irritates Americans, and it irritates Trump if someone starts making demands and setting limits," he added .

The media recalled that after the joint statement by European leaders in support of Ukraine on Saturday night, some politicians publicly went even further.

In particular, Merz called on Zelenskyy to take part in the Alaska talks, saying: "We are actively preparing for this meeting at the European level together with the US government. And we hope and assume that the Ukrainian government and President Zelensky will take part in it".

Kallas also insisted on Kyiv's participation in the talks, adding: "We cannot allow territorial issues between Russia and America to be discussed or even resolved at the expense of Europeans and Ukrainians".

"The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for more than three years. The Europeans will also definitely take part in solving this problem, as their own security is at stake," Macron commented on the upcoming meeting.

At the same time, this week Starmer is holding personal telephone conversations with world leaders in an attempt to influence the course of the upcoming meeting.

• On August 15, Trump is to meet with Putin in Alaska to discuss the settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.
• Tusk said that the US has committed to hold consultations with European partners before the meeting.
• Kallas claims that during the meeting in Alaska August 15, Putin "wants to take a picture" with Trump and postpone sanctions, but the EU hopes for concrete results after these talks.