Ahead of the Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska, Luc Frieden voiced cautious optimism about transatlantic unity on Ukraine, stressing the need for a ceasefire, security guarantees, and Kyiv’s full participation in any talks.

The United States has been working closely with European partners, a development Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden described to RTL as “very positive”. On Wednesday, he took part in a video conference where several Western heads of state and government discussed the situation together with US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Frieden, Europe and the US share the same objectives: achieving a ceasefire, securing robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and ensuring that no territorial discussions take place without Ukraine at the table.

Frieden expressed a "slight hope" for progress in this difficult matter, saying that after the meeting he felt the Americans want the Europeans involved and are listening to them. He added that US officials had promised to brief Europe directly after the upcoming summit in Alaska. On the question of Ukraine ceding territory, Frieden was clear that only the Ukrainians themselves can decide that.

Before this meeting, another video conference was held with U.S. President Donald Trump. Participants included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Marc Rutte, European Council President Antonio Costa, and Zelensky, who had traveled to Berlin to join Merz in the virtual talks.

Von der Leyen later described the call on social media as "very good", saying Brussels sees opportunities to strengthen Ukraine’s position.

Moscow, meanwhile, dismissed European diplomatic efforts ahead of the Alaska summit as insignificant. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that ahead of Friday’s planned Trump-Putin meeting, Russia is demanding control over four Ukrainian regions.