Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ambassadors from 27 EU countries met urgently in Brussels to examine the consequences of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, where they discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine. President Trump called the meeting “very productive,” adding they had agreed on many points, but there wasn’t a ceasefire or breakthrough.
Why did EU ambassadors call an emergency session?
As reported, the EU emergency meeting came amidst high anxiety in Brussels and across EU capitals about the implications of the summit and Trump’s subsequent calls with European Commission heads, NATO Secretary General, and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy.
“An emergency meeting of COREPER (the Committee of Permanent Representatives) began on Saturday morning to discuss further steps on Ukraine,”
TASS reported.
What role does the committee play in EU decision-making?
The committee is responsible for drafting all ministerial decisions for the European Union Council. It is a central body made up of the heads or deputy heads of mission from EU member states based in Brussels. The primary task of COREPER is to prepare the agenda and draft decisions for the meetings of the Council of the European Union and is therefore key to the decision-making process in the EU.
According to TASS, “the sides intend to coordinate positions and possibly make their own statement” in the context of the Russian-US discussions. It also noted that few officials stayed in Brussels or other EU capitals, waiting for the Alaska summit outcomes and Trump’s phone call, during which he likely spoke more than he did at his press conference.
How did the Alaska summit address the Russia-Ukraine war?
Following two and a half hours of discussions behind closed doors, Trump stated that there had been “great progress” in discussions with Putin, although Trump did not reach an agreement concerning war in Ukraine.
After their discussions, they conducted a joint press conference, though they did not disclose what had been discussed in detail.
Later in an interview, Trump mentioned the possibility of a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump also had an extended conversation with Zelensky during his return flight from Alaska, which was later joined by other European leaders and lasted over an hour and a half in total.
