Europe open: Shares mixed as Trump-Zelenskyy meeting looms

(Sharecast News) - European shares were mixed on Monday as all eyes turned to a meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump, his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to discuss ending the war with Russia. The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was up 0.03% at 553 at 0804 BST. Germany's DAX was down 0.32% and France's CAC 40 fell 0.2%, while the UK's FTSE 100 gained 0.09%.

Sentiment was dampened when Trump, who has largely aligned the US with Russia, said overnight that Zelenskyy could end the war with Russia "almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight".

He also ruled out Ukraine joining Nato - a key demand from Moscow. The meeting follows Trump's short summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which ended without a ceasefire.

Zelenskyy will be joined by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"The future of Ukraine hangs heavy in the balance as Zelenskyy, flanked by European leaders, prepares to meet Trump. Putin's high bar for a peace deal may scupper hopes for an end to the conflict, but with more details emerging about what land could be ceded or retained in Eastern Ukraine, there does seem be more substance to the talks," said Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Susannah Streeter.

There was a dearth or corporate news to drive trade in the middle of the August holiday period. Shares in UK food producer Cranswick were down after new allegations of cruelty towards piglets at another of its farms emerged on the weekend.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com