Athens Ahead of D.C. Meeting: ‘Only Ukraine Can Take Decisions Over Territorial Issues’  

A teleconference between leaders representing the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky concluded on Sunday, a day before at least six European leaders — including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb – will join a meeting between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian leader at the White House.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis participated in the remote conference, convened through an initiative by Paris.

As widely reported, the Europeans were briefed over the results of a historic meeting last week in Anchorage, Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose decision to invade parts of eastern and southern Ukraine in February 2022 sparked the biggest conflict in the European continent since WWII.

Reports from Athens after the meeting have the Greek side maintaining its position over the need for an immediate ceasefire and the significance of security guarantees that include US participation. Moreover, the Greek government insists that only Ukraine can decide on matters affecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The latest developments ahead of the closely watched meeting on Monday include the arrival to Washington D.C. of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who’ll travel to the US capital with Starmer and Stubb, along with Macron of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive branch.

According to reports citing European officials, Trump will first meet alone with Zelensky, with a working lunch to follow and then a wide-ranging meeting to include the European leaders.

The meeting will come three days after talks in Alaska between Trump and Putin ended inconclusively but raised concerns in Europe of Trump gravitating more to the Kremlin’s positions.

File photo: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (center), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatovic, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo, North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic pose for a family photo outside the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas