EU Leaders Join Zelenskyy in Washington as Trump Pushes Ukraine Deal

European Leaders Prepare to Meet with Trump in Washington

European leaders from Germany, France, and Britain are set to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a high-stakes meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. This gathering aims to support Zelenskiy as the U.S. president pushes for a swift peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump has been urging Zelenskiy to accept a deal following his recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. On Sunday, Trump promised “big progress on Russia” in a social media post, though he did not elaborate on what this might entail.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Trump had seen enough during his discussions with Putin to justify meeting with Zelenskiy and European leaders on Monday. However, he emphasized that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions for any agreement to be reached.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are hosting a meeting of allies on Sunday to strengthen Zelenskiy’s position. The primary goal is to secure strong security guarantees for Ukraine, including a role for the United States.

According to sources, the U.S. and Russian leaders discussed proposals during their Friday summit. These included Russia relinquishing small areas of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a large portion of its eastern territory and freezing the front lines elsewhere. However, some of Putin's demands would be extremely difficult for Ukraine to accept, potentially leading to tense negotiations over ending Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years.

Lessons from the Past

European allies are keen to ensure that Zelenskiy does not face another public dressing-down like the one he received during his last Oval Office meeting in February. At that time, Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskiy for being ungrateful and disrespectful.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also travel to Washington, along with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Stubb has a close relationship with Trump, having played golf with him in Florida earlier this year. Meloni, who supports many of Trump’s policies, is also expected to attend.

Zelenskiy expressed his hope that Washington would stand with Ukraine during a visit to Brussels alongside von der Leyen. He emphasized that the current front lines should serve as the basis for peace talks, stating, “Putin does not want to stop the killing but he must do it.”

Security Guarantees and Red Lines

Von der Leyen outlined clear red lines for Ukraine’s allies. She stressed the need for robust security guarantees, no restrictions on Ukraine’s armed forces, and a seat at the table for Ukraine to discuss its territory. “As I’ve often said, Ukraine must become a steel porcupine, indigestible for potential invaders,” she said.

Macron, Merz, and Starmer are hosting a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” which includes Zelenskiy. European powers aim to facilitate a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskiy to ensure Ukraine has a voice in shaping its future. They also seek security guarantees with U.S. involvement and the ability to increase pressure on Moscow if necessary.

U.S. Position and Challenges

Speaking to CBS on Sunday, Rubio acknowledged that both Ukraine and Russia would need to make concessions to reach a peace deal. He also mentioned that security guarantees for Ukraine would be discussed on Monday. However, he cautioned that the U.S. may not be able to create a scenario to end the war.

“If peace is not going to be possible here and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands… we may unfortunately wind up there, but we don’t want to wind up there,” Rubio said in an interview with “Face the Nation.”

Putin’s Perspective

Putin has briefed his close ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, about the Alaska talks and also spoke with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Trump has repeatedly emphasized that Russia is a “very big power” and urged Ukraine to make a deal to end the war.

After the Alaska summit, Trump called Zelenskiy and informed him that Putin had offered to freeze most front lines if Ukraine ceded all of Donetsk, an industrial region that is one of Moscow’s main targets. Zelenskiy rejected the demand. Russia already controls a fifth of Ukraine, including about three-quarters of Donetsk province, which it first entered in 2014.

Trump also indicated that he agreed with Putin that a peace deal should be sought without a prior ceasefire, a reversal of his previous stance. Before the summit, he had stated that he would not be happy unless a ceasefire was agreed upon.