Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders are in Washington today to press Kyiv’s position as U.S. President Donald Trump signals that Ukraine should accept territorial and other concessions following his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. It is the first White House gathering in this format since the war began in February 2022, and comes after new deadly Russian strikes overnight on Ukrainian cities.
Talks are expected to focus on potential territorial arrangements and security guarantees to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky could “stop the war almost immediately,” adding that Crimea will not be regained and NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table. Zelensky, thanking Trump for the invitation, said Ukraine seeks a swift but durable peace and stressed that Russia must end the war it started.
Zelensky meets Trump one-on-one at 13:00 local (20:00 Athens) before European leaders join: Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, Keir Starmer, Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Reports indicate Trump supports Moscow’s demands over Donetsk and Luhansk and a frozen front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, though his envoy Steve Witkoff claimed Russia showed some flexibility. Security guarantees for Ukraine—potentially a NATO Article 5–style pledge outside the Alliance—will also be discussed, with Trump leaving open a possible trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky depending on today’s meeting.
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
