The leaders of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries said Europe and Ukraine should be involved in the talks, while concern is growing that Washington and Moscow may try to resolve the war in Ukraine between themselves.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden said their countries stood "fully and firmly behind Ukraine".

The statement came just days after US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held talks that rattled Ukraine and America's NATO allies. 

Trump said he and Putin had agreed to begin talks soon to end the war and exchange friendly visits.

The new U.S. administration has also signaled that Ukraine will have to cede territory to Russia and that Kiev's NATO membership is "impractical."

"Ukraine and Europe must engage in all negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace," the Nordic-Baltic statement said, noting that "the outcome of the war will have fundamental and long-lasting consequences for European and transatlantic security."

The countries said that their "priority now is to strengthen Ukraine" and that they would "further strengthen our support".

The statement did not specifically address the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership, but said the country "must be provided with strong security guarantees".

It also says the countries "fully commit to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". | BGNES