Schoof, EU leaders say Ukraine must decide its own future ahead of Trump-Putin meeting

Demissionary Prime Minister Dick Schoof has joined France, Germany, the United Kingdom and other European leaders in declaring that Ukraine alone must decide its future, issuing the statement just days before a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Ukraine decides over its own future,” Schoof wrote Sunday on X (previously Twitter), backing the European position that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be determined without Ukraine.”

The meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Aug. 15, with Trump signaling openness to also invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — a proposal Putin has reportedly rejected.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up a significant portion of its eastern territory in exchange for a cease-fire. In their joint message, the European leaders rejected the idea, writing: “We hold to the principle that international borders may not be changed by force.”

Schoof echoed that stance, stressing that any settlement must be both fair and lasting. “It is of the utmost importance that peace in Ukraine is just and sustainable. Therefore, Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be disputed,” he wrote.

While firmly opposing concessions to Russia, Schoof, like his European counterparts, expressed appreciation for Trump’s recent diplomatic moves. “The Netherlands welcomes the positive steps the U.S. has taken this week toward a cease-fire,” he stated.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp of Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC) struck a more cautious note last Thursday in comments to the ANP news agency, saying it was difficult to set expectations for the Trump-Putin meeting. “So far we have seen that Putin keeps delaying,” Veldkamp said.