European leaders will hold online talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, hoping to convince him to respect Ukraine's interests during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as the French, British and other European leaders and the heads of the EU and NATO to an afternoon video conference.

They are then expected to talk to Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance in a second round of the conference call.

The Trump-Putin meeting on Friday is currently planned to go ahead without Zelenskyy, which has fueled fears that Trump could cut a deal deeply disadvantageous to Kyiv.

EU leaders stressed on Tuesday "the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny," adding that "international borders must not be changed by force."

Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters Tuesday, ruled out withdrawing troops from the Donbas region which Moscow claims.

Merz's office said the leaders would discuss "further options to exert pressure on Russia" and "preparation of possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security."

The talks would include leaders from "Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, the heads of the European Commission and Council, the secretary general of NATO, as well as the U.S. president and his deputy," Berlin said on Monday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Merz are then also set to hold a round of talks of the so-called Coalition of the Willing of Ukraine's military backers.

Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected "constructive conversations" with Putin.

"This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit," Trump said at the White House, but he also added that eventually "there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land."

Russia, as a prerequisite to a peace settlement, has demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of several regions claimed by Moscow, commit to being a neutral state, shun U.S. and EU military support and be excluded from joining NATO.