Article
Zelensky, European Leaders Head to White House to Urge Trump Against Concessions to Putin
Summary
European leaders join Zelensky in Washington to pressure Trump against territorial concessions to Putin amid renewed Ukraine peace talks.
The leaders of Europe are rallying behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he heads to Washington for high-stakes talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. The encounter follows Trump's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that ended without a ceasefire agreement and revived anxiety in Kyiv and its global allies.
Trump's proposal to bypass a ceasefire and proceed directly to a peace agreement has unsettled European leaders, who fear it will propel Moscow's battlefield gains. Putin supposedly offered that Ukraine relinquish command of Donbas in exchange for a Russian standdown on assaults in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—one that Zelensky outright rejected.
Joining them in Washington are key European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. They seek to ensure that Ukraine won't be marginalized and no concessions on land can occur.
Tensions remain high following a previous Oval Office showdown in February, when Trump reprimanded Zelensky for American aid. Today, with Trump proposing trilateral talks with Putin, European leaders are eager to shape what happens and prevent what they see as an early concession.
As drone strikes continue between Kyiv and Moscow, diplomatic efforts concentrate in Washington, where Ukraine's sovereignty might be decided.