Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with European and U.S. leaders ahead of a Trump-Putin summit later this week, the German government said.

Merz convened a series of virtual meetings on Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine’s leaders heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow's war in Ukraine. 

Zelenskyy and the leaders of European countries have all been sidelined from that summit. 

Zelenskyy is due to meet European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last.

When Zelenskyy last visited Berlin in late May, Merz pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.

The Ukrainian leader on Wednesday said his government has had over 30 conversations with partners ahead of the summit in Alaska, but reiterated his doubt that Putin would negotiate in good faith.