Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders will meet with Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to hammer out a peace agreement. Fears have grown in recent hours that the US president may try to pressure kyiv into accepting a deal favorable to Moscow.
After rolling out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump said the Ukrainian president could end the war with Russia"almost immediately or he could keep fighting." Trump appears to have embraced Putin's proposals for this meeting, including that Ukraine give up the portion it controls of its eastern Donetsk region, a key fortified area for containing Russia.
Zelensky travels to Washington to meet with Trump, accompanied by European leaders: Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom; Emmanuel Macron of France; Friedrich Merz of Germany; Alexander Stubb of Finland; and Giorgia Meloni of Italy. Also attending are Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission; and Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general. It's a good lineup for a difficult meeting. Zelensky's latest visit to the Oval Office ended in shouting matches."We need real negotiations, which means we can start where the front line is now," the Ukrainian leader said in Brussels on Sunday, adding that his country's constitution makes it impossible for him to give up territory.
The tycoon at the helm of the US is trying to put pressure on the invaded country. Zelensky has been very cautious not to upset the volatile Trump, but he's trying to get his act together before the face-to-face meeting:"Russia must end this war, the war it started. And I hope that our shared strength with the United States and our European friends will propel Russia toward true peace." Trump will first meet with Zelensky in the Oval Office and then with all the European leaders together. The Europeans held a call with Zelensky on Sunday to align a common strategy ahead of the delicate meeting with Trump today.
Ukraine's need to share weapons and intelligence with the United States has forced Zelensky and European leaders to appease Trump despite his contradictory stance on Ukraine and outlandish analyses."Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wants, or he can keep fighting. Remember where it all began? No to the return of Crimea, ceded by Obama (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and no to Ukraine joining NATO. Some things never change!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
What's important for Russia is that the US leader has forgotten his demands for a ceasefire, which would relieve Ukraine of the burden of Moscow's attacks and deprive Putin of some leverage at the negotiating table. Trump and his European allies had agreed earlier this week that a ceasefire should precede a peace agreement, but he abandoned that position and sided with the Russian leader. He also forgot the"grave consequences" he threatened Russia with a few days ago. Also crucial is Washington's contemplative attitude toward the conflict:"We have ended financing the war in Ukraine," Vice President J.D. Vance declared flatly a week ago. For the US, defending Ukraine is Europe's problem, not Washington's. Putin will persevere in that rift.
This weekend, Putin again mentioned the"root causes" of the war in the Kremlin, his usual phrase for referring to the supposed historical grievances he has used to justify the invasion. The Russian military is making considerable progress, so Putin is no longer interested in a ceasefire. And after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Alaska, it seems Trump isn't either.
During the meeting in Alaska, Putin told Trump that he would freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia in exchange for the Ukrainian region of Donetsk. When he called Zelensky to inform him of the outcome of the meeting with Putin, Trump presented the situation harshly: Putin is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all of Donbas. In that call with Zelensky on Saturday, Trump offered support for the United States to guarantee Ukraine's security after the war, a shift from his position that Europe should assume the burden of protecting the country, though the details are unclear because Trump has long opposed sending troops or formally opposing NATO protection for European troops there.
Trump told Zelensky he was free to bring guests to the meeting, and the White House later extended invitations to several European leaders. Many governments in Europe are aware that Putin is going beyond simply taking over part or all of Ukraine: He hopes to divide NATO, separating European allies from the United States, and forcing a retreat from the alliance, even through an invasion.
