Many European politicians reacted on Wednesday evening to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements about his upcoming meeting with Putin and his and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s discussions on the unrealistic return of the territories lost by Ukraine. Some said that peace negotiations would be impossible without Ukraine and Europe, while others argued that such verbal concessions before the start of negotiations would be a betrayal of both Ukraine's and the West's interests.

Axar.az informs that according to BBC Russian citing Politico.

It was noted that while Trump was talking in Washington about his conversation with Putin, foreign ministers of leading European countries were discussing the war at a meeting in Paris. In their final statement, they assured that their countries were ready to increase aid to Ukraine and support its territorial integrity.

"We are ready to enhance our support for Ukraine. We commit to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's war of aggression. We share the goal to keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached," stated the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the UK, along with EU foreign and defense policy leaders.

The participants of the meeting emphasized that, in their view, Europe must be involved in peace negotiations, and they intend to discuss this with their American allies.

"Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity are unconditional. Our priority must now be strengthening Ukraine and providing robust security guarantees. In any negotiation, Europe must have a central role," summarized the outcomes of the Paris meeting, EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas.

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, commenting on Trump’s statements, specifically emphasized that, in her opinion, there can be no separate negotiations.

"Peace can only be achieved together. And that means: with Ukraine, and with the Europeans," Baerbock said.

In the same vein, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk also spoke out.

“All we need is peace. A JUST PEACE. Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. TOGETHER.," Tusk wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Former Swedish Prime Minister and Co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Carl Bildt, compared Trump and Hegseth's statements to the actions of European leaders in negotiations with Hitler in Munich in 1938 — and he made this comparison unfavorably for Trump.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a long-time Trump critic who was the lead prosecutor in the Republican’s first impeachment trial, called the president “a great dealmaker all right — for the Kremlin".

"Today, President Trump called our enemy, Russia, before calling our ally, Ukraine. Meanwhile, his Secretary of Defense, ruled out a future for Ukraine in NATO and a restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty over its own lands. Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraine’s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin. Trump’s a great dealmaker all right — for the Kremlin," Schiff said via X.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said: “Ukrainian agency in any peace talks is crucially important.”

According to Braže, while any diplomacy would have to involve Kyiv, “in order to have successful peace deal, Russia needs to be weakened on the battlefield. Russia’s politics, economics, religion, media, private sector, religion — it is all oriented towards war. Thus, Russia has to be forced to peace.”