United States President Donald Trump initiated a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. President Trump’s recent conversations with President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have reportedly sparked plans for delegates from the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine to meet in Saudi Arabia to start negotiations (CNN). While European leaders agree with President Trump about the urgency of the Ukraine-Russia war ending, many are angry about Europe’s exclusion from potential peace talks and worry that the U.S. approach gives Russia an advantage. Moving forward, the U.S. must continue to advocate for an end to the conflict but should prioritize the voices of leaders from Ukraine and the rest of Europe in reaching and maintaining a peace agreement. 

Although welcoming a potential ceasefire brokered by the U.S., European leaders are angry over special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellog’s statement that the rest of Europe will not be invited to Saudi Arabia, and they are apprehensive about President Trump’s comments that indicate partiality towards Russia in a future deal. President Trump and the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth agreed that there is “no likelihood” of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (N.A.T.O.) and called Ukrainian demands for a return to pre-war borders “unrealistic” (BBC). In response, European leaders are holding an emergency summit in France to address their role in supporting peace between Russia and Ukraine (Al Jazeera). Though aligned with ending the war, sympathy towards Russia’s interests has caused European leaders to be concerned about the integrity of a U.S.-led peace deal. 

With the U.S. set to lead the first round of ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Trump administration must focus on solutions that protect Ukrainian sovereignty. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says that the U.S. is open to using  “tools of leverage” against Russia if Putin does not agree to appropriate terms, stating that the U.S. supports Ukrainian independence (NBC News). Any deal brokered by the U.S. must reflect these sentiments. In addition, European leaders from countries like Britain, France, Germany, and Poland must be included in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia as they will most likely be the countries directly responsible for overseeing the implementation of a peace agreement. Finally, although President Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the military alliance, the U.S. must continue to work with N.A.T.O. to ensure that once peace is achieved, it can be enforced. 

The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which started with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, has origins in President Putin’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. For over a decade, Russia has claimed control of territories that are internationally recognized as Ukrainian, erupting into a full-scale war in the last several years that threatens the stability of the entire region. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S.-based international politics think tank, since 2022, fighting has left at least 40,000 civilians dead and over 10 million displaced, with 14.6 million in need of humanitarian aid. The Russian military has been accused of war crimes, with the scale of Putin’s attack continuing to ramp up after an attack was made on Ukraine’s nuclear facility at Chernobyl this week. Putin’s blatant violations of international law indicate the need for intervention by the U.S. and Europe to end the war and protect Ukrainian sovereignty. 

Before taking office, President Trump promised to negotiate an end to the Ukraine-Russia war during his second term. While the administration’s actions this week indicate that the U.S. is serious about pursuing an immediate end to the conflict, European leaders worry that Trump’s team will favor Russian objectives in a highly anticipated ceasefire deal. To increase the chances of reaching a plausible agreement, the Trump administration should allow European leadership to participate in peace talks and stand by the U.S. precedent of backing Ukrainian independence and N.A.T.O. membership. In the upcoming weeks, U.S. leaders must remember that upholding international norms and promoting transparency with European allies is crucial for securing a lasting end to the Ukraine-Russia war.