KYIV/WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is traveling to Washington on Monday, joined by top European leaders, as former U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal that many fear could favor Moscow.
Leaders from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and NATO are expected to stand alongside Zelensky at a critical diplomatic moment, seeking to prevent a repeat of the tense Oval Office encounter between Trump and Zelensky in February.
According to the White House, Trump will first meet Zelensky one-on-one at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT) in the Oval Office, followed by a joint session with all European leaders at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) in the East Room.
The meetings come just days after Trump rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, saying that after more than 42 months of war which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions “a deal must be made.”
“Russia is a very powerful country, and [Ukraine] is not,” Trump said afterward, signaling support for Moscow’s position.
Zelensky, however, has already rejected Putin’s latest peace proposal, which would force Ukraine to abandon the rest of the Donetsk region. Ukraine still controls about a quarter of the territory and considers it a vital defensive stronghold.
Speaking in Brussels on Sunday, Zelensky made clear that Kyiv cannot concede land. “We need real negotiations, which means we start from the current front line. Our constitution makes it impossible to give up territory,” he said.
The Ukrainian president reiterated his stance after arriving in Washington late Sunday. “I am grateful to the U.S. President for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war quickly and reliably. Russia must end the war it started,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “With the united strength of the U.S. and our European friends, we can force Russia toward real peace.”
Putin’s terms, first reported by Reuters, remain unacceptable to Kyiv. Ukraine is demanding firm security guarantees as part of any settlement, citing Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.
European leaders, worried about being sidelined in a Trump-brokered summit, met with Zelensky in Brussels on Sunday to align a common strategy before the Washington talks.
“Europeans need to be there,” said Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko. “Trump respects them, and he acts differently in their presence.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed speculation that Europe’s role is to shield Zelensky. “They’re not coming to protect him from bullying. They’re coming because we are working together with Europe,” Rubio told CBS.
Relations between Kyiv and Washington, once extremely close, have grown strained since Trump took office in January. Still, Ukraine’s heavy dependence on U.S. weapons and intelligence with no viable alternatives has forced Zelensky and his allies to engage, even as Trump’s statements often contradict Ukraine’s goals.
On the battlefield, Russian forces are slowly advancing, leveraging their manpower and firepower advantage. Putin has said Russia will fight until its military objectives are achieved.
Ukraine hopes its evolving battlefield tactics, combined with European financial and military aid, will help it inflict enough losses on Moscow to sustain the war effort, even if U.S. support falters.
