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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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The war Russia started against Ukraine can only end by consistent pressure being applied on Vladimir Putin, the leaders of eight Nordic and Baltic countries have said in a message to Donald Trump.
The statement by the Nordic-Baltic Eight whose members are allies of Kyiv, welcomed the U.S. President's moves to end the war ahead of his summit with Putin in Alaska Friday and said they would continue to impose restrictive measures against Russia while continuing to support Ukraine.
"Peace will only come through a combination of determined diplomacy, unwavering support for Ukraine, and consistent pressure on the Russian Federation," said the statement by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.
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Why It Matters
The statement by Ukraine's Nordic and Baltic allies is a message to Trump that Putin only responds to pressure and the U.S. should not bow to any Russian demands that will hand Moscow an advantage in Friday's summit.
What To Know
The Nordic-Baltic Eight issued a statement on Sunday marking its take on the upcoming summit on Friday between Trump and Putin.
It welcomed Trump's moves to end the war and "lay the foundations for a just and enduring peace" for Ukraine and Europe as well as reaffirming the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.
The bloc said it would continue to uphold and impose restrictive measures against Russia and that peace would only follow "determined diplomacy, unwavering support for Ukraine, and consistent pressure" on Russia to halt its unlawful war.
Other allies of Ukraine have commented on the diplomatic stakes for Friday. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CBS News that Ukraine must be involved in peace efforts if the summit goes well but first "it is important to see how serious Putin is."
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly rejected ceding Ukrainian territory to end Russia's war following reports that exchanging territory Russia partially controls was on the agenda for Friday's talks.
In his nightly address, Zelensky said that Putin aims to "deceive" the United States in upcoming peace negotiations, but Ukraine will not let this strategy succeed.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Kremlin messaging showed it wanted to use the summit to divide the U.S. and Europe rather than engage in meaningful peace efforts by portraying the continent as trying to stop the Trump administration from stopping the war.
Anatole Lieven, from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Newsweek he backs swapping the remainder of Ukrainian-held Donbas for Russian-held territory elsewhere, as Trump has apparently proposed but this would be deeply painful for Kyiv, and has already been rejected by President Zelensky.
If Ukraine rejects this deal, and Trump ends US aid to Ukraine, Russia will likely take very much more, he added.
But retired Australian major general Mick Ryan said on Substack that Trump agreeing to a summit was an unnecessary concession by the U.S. and that given Moscow's huge losses, "Russia is not a position to make demands of the Trump administration."
"Therefore, this is a very significant win for Putin," Ryan added**.**
What People Are Saying
The Nordic-Baltic Eight in a statement: "We welcome the initiative of President Trump to help bring this war to an end...peace will only come through a combination of determined diplomacy, unwavering support for Ukraine, and consistent pressure on the Russian Federation to halt its unlawful war."
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky: "We understand the Russians' intention to try to deceive America — we will not allow this."
Anatole Lieven, director, Eurasia Program, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: "Leaving the status of the provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhia for future negotiation also makes good sense. Ukraine cannot be expected to withdraw from the large part of these provinces it still holds. Nor can Russia realistically be expected to abandon its territorial claim."
Retired Australian major general Mick Ryan on Substack: "That the American president thinks he is in a position to bargain away Ukrainian territory smacks of gross ignorance, demonstrates zero strategic empathy, and shows a total lack of understanding of Ukraine's objectives."
What Happens Next
Much diplomatic jockeying is expected before Friday's summit and European leaders are looking to speak to Trump in the coming days as they push for a ceasefire based on the current front line, ahead of a broader settlement and continued economic pressure on Moscow, according to Bloomberg.
Update 08/11/25, 4:16 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
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