Over the weekend, US Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that Americans were “sick” of spending tax dollars on Ukraine and that Washington was “done funding” Kiev. He suggested that if European nations “care so much about this conflict” they should play a more direct role “in funding this war yourself.”

The Times noted that despite its unwavering diplomatic support for Ukraine, Europe “lacks the strength to back Kiev” in negotiations or in guaranteeing settlement terms. The outlet recalled that the “coalition of the willing,” led by the UK and France, had previously planned to send a European contingent to Ukraine to monitor a future ceasefire. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a target of 64,000 troops, despite Russia opposing any Western military presence, warning it could trigger a world war.

However, Starmer’s target looks “highly unlikely,” The Times noted, adding that European defense ministers say there is “no chance” of meeting it and that even 25,000 troops as a joint effort would “be a push.”

“Russia has 800,000 [troops],” Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told European counterparts earlier this year.

“If we can’t even raise 64,000…that is weak.”

In January, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky called for a foreign force of “at least 200,000 European peacekeepers” as a “baseline for security.”

The Times also stated that while Kiev’s European backers have overtaken the US in total military aid, spending over $78 billion compared to Washington’s $70 billion, most of Ukraine’s advanced weaponry still comes from the US.

Although the EU has launched an €800 billion ($867 billion) readiness plan to modernize its military, The Times said progress has been slow and “hindered by fragmented industries, political divisions and lack of a shared strategy.”

Russia has repeatedly criticized continued Western military aid to Ukraine, saying it prolongs the conflict. Moscow has also criticized Europe’s increased military spending, accusing it of pursuing “rabid militarization” threatening regional stability.

“He wasn’t part of it,” Trump told reporters.

“I would say he could go, but he’s gone to a lot of meetings; he’s been there for three and a half years, and nothing happened.”

As Washington seeks a path to end the war in Ukraine, the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin will mark their first face-to-face talks since the start of Trump’s second term.

Trump said after his meeting with Putin, a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders should take place.

“Ultimately, I’m going to put the two of them (Putin and Zelensky) in a room, I’ll be there or I won’t be there, and I think it’ll get solved,” Trump added.

During the press conference, Trump added that he was “a little bothered” by Zelensky’s words regarding “constitutional approval” for land swaps as part of a potential peace agreement.

“He’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap? There’ll be some land swapping going on,” Trump said.

“We’re going to change the battle lines. Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine,” he added.

Trump described the upcoming meeting with Putin as a “feel-out meeting” and added that the Russian president wants “to get involved” and “to get over” the war.

“At the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Trump noted.

Trump had announced a summit with Putin and reportedly told Ukraine and European leaders that the Kremlin is open to negotiations if “land swaps” are part of the deal.

Though it remains unclear what such a deal would entail, a source in Ukraine’s Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent that Moscow seeks Kyiv’s full withdrawal from partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the east while offering to withdraw its forces from the limited areas it holds in the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.

Publicly, Putin has demanded a ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership and a full Ukrainian withdrawal from partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as a precondition for peace talks.

In turn, Zelensky has rejected ceding territory to Russia and urged a ceasefire as the first step toward peace talks, a position backed by Kyiv’s European partners.

Zelensky is also expected to hold talks with European leaders and Trump two days before the summit in Alaska.