According to The New York Times, European leaders plan to urge U. S. President Donald Trump not to reach an agreement on Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin without their approval.

The newspaper reported that numerous public remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other officials indicate that European leaders intend to press Trump not to sign any peace deal behind the back of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or his European allies.

The report noted that European leaders are expected to declare that any talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine must begin with a full ceasefire. They also believe that no truce plan involving European troops could be implemented without Europe’s consent.

According to The New York Times, this could represent the last effort by Merz and other European allies to prevent Trump from taking unilateral action and to stop him from, in their words, falling under Putin’s influence.