European Leaders Join Zelensky in Washington for High-Stakes Talks with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington for critical talks at the White House, this time joined by key European allies to push for an end to the war with Russia.
Among those attending are NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The talks follow last week’s Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, where US President Donald Trump dropped his demand for an immediate ceasefire and instead pushed for a permanent peace deal. A US envoy revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had signaled openness to a possible NATO-style security pact for Ukraine.
“BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
European leaders rushed to Washington amid concerns Trump may pressure Zelensky into accepting terms after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that Zelensky might be forced into a deal, calling it “a stupid media narrative.”
This summit marks a sharp contrast to Zelensky’s previous White House visit earlier this year, which ended in a heated exchange with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Since then, European leaders have worked to mend ties, encouraging Zelensky to adopt deal-making language that appeals to Trump.
In recent months, Trump has shown growing frustration with Moscow’s unrelenting offensive, even calling Putin “absolutely crazy” and threatening new sanctions. Yet Russia still occupies nearly one-fifth of Ukraine.
Sunday’s virtual summit between NATO allies and Zelensky underscored a united push ahead of the Washington meeting. Macron said the plan was to “present a united front.”
US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed Putin had agreed to consider “robust security guarantees,” including potential Article 5-like protection for Ukraine, mirroring NATO’s core principle of collective defense.
However, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine’s constitution forbids giving up territory, stressing that issues over contested regions should only be resolved in a trilateral summit with the US, Ukraine, and Russia.
While progress is being reported, Secretary of State Rubio cautioned that “we’re still a long ways off” from a final peace deal.
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