Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he told European leaders and US President Donald Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'is bluffing'.

"Of course, we discussed the situation on the battlefield today. I told the President of the United States and all our European colleagues, Putin is bluffing. He is trying to put pressure on all fronts of the Ukrainian front ahead of the meeting in Alaska. Russia is trying to portray itself as capable of occupying the whole of Ukraine. This is undoubtedly their desire," Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Wednesday in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Zelenskyy is in Berlin for talks with Merz and virtual meetings with Trump and other European leaders, ahead of Friday’s planned summit between Trump and Putin.

Merz has convened the virtual meetings in an attempt to make sure European and Ukraine’s leaders are heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy and the Europeans have been sidelined from that summit.

German government spokesperson Steffen Meyer said the intention of Wednesday’s meetings was to “make clear the position of the Europeans".