German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, on Friday said Europe needed to ramp up pressure on Washington to stand by NATO allies and not impose an unfair peace on Ukraine.

Her comments came after US President Donald Trump spoke to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin last week to discuss ending the war and before Trump declared he doesn’t consider it essential for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be present at talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings,” Trump said in an audio interview with Fox News, adding that Zelenskyy has been negotiating “with no cards, and you get sick of it.”

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Baerbock’s statements were similar to those of other European leaders discussing how to approach likely changes to transatlantic relations during Trump’s second term.

“We are increasing the pressure on the Americans so that they have as much to lose as possible if they no longer stand by the side of the liberal democracies of Europe,” Baerbock told a campaign event in Potsdam.

The foreign minister referred to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s declaration of a “turning point” when it came to increasing Berlin’s military strength in light of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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