Spiegel has published excerpts from what it says is a leaked transcript of a closed-door phone call between several European leaders and Vladimir Zelensky, suggesting that Europe harbors «deep mistrust» toward the United States over the direction of a potential settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the magazine, the discussion brought together a wide circle of participants — among them German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Zelensky himself. Joining the call as well were the prime ministers of Poland, Italy, Denmark and Norway, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.

Macron was cited as cautioning that Washington might be preparing to make territorial concessions at Ukraine’s expense without providing clarity on future security guarantees, a scenario he reportedly described as carrying serious risks for Zelensky.

Merz, for his part, was said to have urged the Ukrainian leader to act with «extreme caution» in the coming days, hinting at the involvement of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the American president’s son-in-law. According to the transcript, Merz suggested that both figures were «playing games» with European partners and with Kyiv.

Stubb stressed during the call that European governments could not afford to leave Zelensky to negotiate alone with U.S. officials, while Rutte echoed that view and argued that Europe needed to «protect» the Ukrainian leader in this process.

Spiegel reports that Stubb declined to comment on the contents of the conversation, while Rutte did not respond to the outlet’s inquiry. Several participants confirmed that the call had taken place. Two sources told the magazine that the published excerpts reflected the substance of the discussion, though they refused to validate exact wording on the grounds of confidentiality. A representative of Zelensky likewise said the conversation would not be discussed publicly.

Paris, meanwhile, denied that Macron had made any claim about a looming threat of betrayal from Washington.