Analysis: Today is a team meeting – but is the US on the same page as its teammates?

By Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent

When the German chancellor cancels his holiday plans to host an emergency meeting, it’s clear the situation is serious.

Back from a break by the lake, Friedrich Merz will host a series of virtual meetings from Berlin today to discuss the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Joining him online will be a variety of Ukraine’s European allies, the NATO chief, and most importantly Donald Trump and JD Vance.

It was announced this morning that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to Berlin to be in the room with Merz. That move alone underlines where the European’s loyalties lie.

It is a subtle reminder to the US that they are “Team Zelenskyy” and that no deals should be made with Putin which would force Ukraine into making concessions before any substantive peace talks.

Many staunchly believe Ukraine should be at the table on Friday.

That’s been ruled out, so making it clear that the country’s future shouldn’t be decided above its head is the next best option.

After all, it was Russia who invaded Ukraine – a point some feel occasionally slips from Trump’s mind.

Summit has deeper significance 

This meeting is more than just the European backing up their buddy.

There’s a firm belief that since 2022 Ukrainians have been fighting a war which keeps wider Europe safe.

There are already warnings that in five years Putin could attack a NATO country, so allowing the Russian to leave Alaska with a reward and potentially greater power would be a disaster.

Today’s meetings are an opportunity for Europe and Ukraine to lay out their red lines for a summit which could impact their future security.

They want Trump to use his influence to pressurise Putin towards a ceasefire and a meaningful peace deal.

That could include hitting Russia where it hurts and implementing the long threaten sanctions.

The fear is Russia will outplay Trump, who may end up making a deal which could, for example, normalise economic ties. That would be seen as a massive fail.

The meetings are a team talk, possibly, even a reminder to the US leadership which side they are on.

The problem is, it’s not always clear to Ukraine and its allies if Trump and his VP Vance are playing by the same rules.