EU leaders to back Zelensky at Trump meeting in Washington
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The news: European leaders have committed to join Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky when he meets with US President Donald Trump on Monday in Washington, as Zelensky faces intensifying pressure from the US to agree to a peace deal with Russia that involves relinquishing territory.
The context: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have confirmed their participation. Sky reports that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also join the talks.
The news comes after Trump said that his Friday summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska will see him urge Zelensky to make a quick deal and seemed open to Putin’s demand of Ukraine ceding territory. EU leaders are sceptical that a peace deal will be achieved quickly and are unconvinced that Putin is looking to reach an agreement.
Trump spoke with EU leaders after the Friday meeting, telling them he was prepared to contribute to security guarantees with Europe so long as it didn’t involve NATO, Bloomberg reports.
The talks on Monday are expected to include security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression. The talks will mark Zelensky’s first visit to the White House since February this year, when his meeting with Trump ended with the leaders shouting at each other and resulted in the US pausing military aid to Ukraine.
The sources: Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Politico , Financial Times, Truth Social Trump
