Editor's note: This interview took place on August 11.

The meeting of [EU] foreign ministers has just ended. What did you reach a common position on?

First off, what all are agreed on is that we have to maintain unity, including in transatlantic relations, and so far as Ukraine is concerned, it is vital that nothing goes over Ukraine's head, nor over Europe's head either. This concerns Europe's security and, naturally, it concerns Ukraine. Nothing can be agreed on behind their backs. That is perhaps the most important thing.

The second key point is that an unconditional ceasefire should precede even sitting down to start negotiations on anything. When the bombs are still flying, it is not actually possible to focus on how to move forward. These are the most important points.

Hungary did not agree, meaning there was no joint statement?

Hungary has a different position. Hungary also raised the idea that there should instead be a summit with Russia, but I would remind people that we have an agreement at the European level that we will not hold a summit with Russia until certain conditions have been met, but none of those conditions have been met, so why would we back down on those conditions?

What do we know so far about the Alaska talks planned for Friday? Is Donald Trump ready to make agreements with Russia at Ukraine's expense? What kind of territorial trade-off could be in question?

The meeting is taking place between America and Russia, and Europe's unified position is that Ukraine must be at that table and Europe must be represented at that table too. If we look at what could come out of the meeting, it is clear that on the one hand Putin wants a photo op with Trump, but on the other, he wants sanctions to be abandoned, or at least the threat of these. These would be gains for Russia, so the question is what America would gain. If Ukraine were at that table, it would be clear that this would be a win for Ukraine, as naturally Putin does not want Ukraine at that table. He wants to make deals with the so-called major players, as in the past, but that is in no one else's interest.

What can Europe do?

Europe and Ukraine's abilities to influence the process lie in the fact that whatever agreement arises there, Ukraine or Europe must also agree to that. Otherwise, if Europe or Ukraine are not included in that agreement, then people will simply shrug; it would not be good for America and its credibility either if they agree to something whose implementation cannot be guaranteed. Implementation can only be guaranteed if Ukraine agrees to that agreement.

[NATO Secretary General] Mark Rutte told Politico that "Ukraine must decide on its own geopolitical future, without restrictions on the size of its armed forces. NATO should also have no restrictions on its presence on the eastern flank in countries such as Latvia, Estonia, and Finland." Could there be a hint in this that within any Putin-Trump deal, we must also be ready for agreements concerning the Baltic states?

We must in any case stay alert whenever Russia meets with anyone, as it comes as no surprise that one of Russia's conditions, one which they have also repeatedly stated, is that there should be no troop presence near the so-called Russian borders, which would mean our entire country; our allies also understand that we must not in any way fall for such agreements.

Friday's Putin-Trump meeting is set to take place at an undisclosed location in Alaska. It is reportedly the first official visit to Alaska by a Russian leader, even though it had been a part of the Tsarist empire until being sold to the United States in 1867. Trump is also set to join European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an "emergency" phone call meeting on Wednesday.

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