File photo. L-R: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, alongside a group of European leaders.
The planned meeting follows Trump’s failed bid to reach a deal on ending the war in Ukraine during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
While no headway was made, Putin reportedly floated a proposal that would require Ukraine withdrawing from the Donetsk region of the Donbas in return for Russia freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
But Zelensky has repeatedly rejected giving up the Donbas, arguing it would only enable future offensives.
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Prior to Friday’s summit, Trump promised “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin did not agree to end the war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, Trump’s tone softened, causing European leaders to react with caution.
Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (EU), said she would join Zelensky at the White House on his request, after meeting him in Brussels on Sunday.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have also confirmed their attendance.
Other European leaders who will join the talks include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general.
Zelensky returns to the White House for the first time since a heated February encounter with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
During the February meeting, Trump demanded that Zelensky be more “thankful” for US support, and the Ukrainian president was later asked to leave the White House.
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Both leaders appeared to have reconciled in April, on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral.
The White House said it was a “very productive meeting”.
