The scramble to convince Trump to back Ukraine – The Latest

European leaders are scrambling to steer Donald Trump toward a peace deal on Ukraine that doesn’t hand Moscow a strategic victory, even as they grapple with his transactional approach to diplomacy. At the G7 summit in the French Alps, Trump’s recent praise for Zelensky and his public call for Russia to make concessions mark a subtle shift—but one that still raises alarms. European officials fear Trump may leverage his perceived 'deal-making' power to force Ukraine into a territorial compromise, especially given the massive financial incentives at stake: a potential $14 trillion in future mineral and energy revenues, with 50% going to the U.S. under a new reconstruction fund. Yet the war remains deadlocked, with both sides suffering and neither clearly winning. While Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience—striking deep into Russian territory and building cutting-edge military capacity—Russia’s war machine remains active, launching devastating drone and missile attacks even as UNESCO sites in Kyiv are targeted. The G7 itself may lack concrete outcomes, but its real value lies in keeping Trump engaged and preventing a deal that could redraw Europe’s borders and destabilize its economy. The stakes aren’t just geopolitical—they’re existential.