Joint trip highlights Europe in demonstrating support for the US initiative to promote peace, after meeting between the Republican and Putin – of which the Ukrainian President was not invited to participate
President of France; Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany; Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General; and Ursula von der Leyen, chairman of the European Commission, will accompany the president of Ukraine, in your meeting with the Presidentthis Monday (18) in the White House. The decision seems to be an effort to prevent the repetition of the tense meeting that Zelensky faced when he met with Trump at the Oval Hall in February. The presence of European leaders alongside Zelensky, demonstrating Europe’s support to Ukraine, can help alleviate Kiev’s concerns and other European capitals that Ukrainian President is in danger of being pressured to accept a peace agreement that Trump claims to want to mediate with Russia.
Von der Leyen, head of the European Union’s executive arm, published in X that “at the request of President Zelensky, I will attend the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders at the White House tomorrow.” The joint trip highlighted the determination of European leaders to ensure that Europe has a voice in an attempt by Trump to promote peace after the summit held on Friday between the US President and Russian leader Vladimir Putin-which Zelensky was not invited to participate.
Meeting
Donald Trump again supported the Russian plan to end the war in Ukraine, which provides for the assignment of Ukrainian territories to Moscow. After meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Saturday, Trump stated that a peace agreement could be quickly reached if Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to deliver regions such as Donetsk and Luhansk, including areas currently under Ukrainian control.
The proposal received a strong rejection of Kiev and European leaders, who are risks to negotiate before any ceasefire. For them, this would favor Russia, which has a militarily advanced and already controls the entire Luhansk region and much of Donetsk, Zaporizehzia and Kherson. Even so, Trump argued that Zelensky “make a deal,” saying “Russia is a very big power and they don’t.”
The reactions in Europe were cold before Trump’s turn, who had threatened to impose sanctions on Moscow, but retreated after the meeting with Putin. European leaders have reaffirmed that they will continue to increase economic pressure against Russia “while the killing continues.” Excluded from the Alaska summit, Zelensky said he will deal with Trump, Washington, “all the details about the end of the war.”
*With information from Estadão Content
