European Leaders Head to Washington to Back Zelensky in White House Talks with Trump
European leaders are preparing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he meets former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. Their goal is clear: to present a united front in support of Ukraine, push back against Russia’s demands, and avoid being left out of critical peace negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron made his stance plain on Sunday. “Our mission is to show unity between Europeans and Ukrainians,” he said, adding bluntly that Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t want peace — he wants Ukraine’s surrender.”
At least six European leaders are expected in Washington, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, both of whom are seen as figures Trump respects. They will be joined by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
This flurry of diplomatic travel underscores Europe’s determination to keep influence at the table. Many European leaders have spent the past several months cultivating personal relationships with Trump, while also advising Zelensky on how to navigate his often unpredictable counterpart. On Sunday, they held preparatory meetings — both virtually and in person — with Zelensky to coordinate their approach.
Chancellor Merz described the effort as “giving a few good pieces of advice” to Ukraine’s leader before Monday’s talks. The day’s schedule is expected to begin with a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Zelensky, followed by a working lunch and then broader discussions that will include the European leaders.
The timing is crucial. Just days ago, Trump met with Putin in Alaska, a summit that ended without concrete results but rattled European officials. After that meeting, Trump appeared to lean toward Moscow’s preferred path: skipping an immediate cease-fire in favor of pushing Ukraine into direct peace talks. Such a move would likely allow Russia to keep fighting and capture more territory before borders are redrawn.
For months, Putin has pushed for a comprehensive peace deal on his terms — one that could force Ukraine into territorial concessions and other steep compromises. Trump’s apparent shift alarmed Kyiv and its allies, prompting this coordinated European push to steer the conversation back toward Ukraine’s survival and sovereignty.
European officials are treading carefully. Public statements have avoided direct criticism of Trump, while still pushing back against his framing of peace talks as the top priority. At a press event in Brussels, Ursula von der Leyen struck a conciliatory tone, saying what mattered most was stopping the bloodshed. “Whether we call it a cease-fire or a peace deal,” she said, “the important thing is to end the killings.”
Zelensky, while publicly agreeing on language, emphasized that negotiations cannot happen under the shadow of ongoing Russian attacks. “First we need a cease-fire,” he said, stressing that any talks must reflect the current front lines.
Behind the scenes, European leaders are also considering what long-term security guarantees might look like for Ukraine. Macron noted that discussions with Trump would center on how far the U.S. is willing to go in supporting those guarantees. Some European nations have even signaled they may be prepared to station troops inside Ukraine after the war ends, as part of a broader effort to deter future Russian aggression.
The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, echoed that sentiment in a television interview Sunday, saying Europe would play a “central role” in ensuring Ukraine’s long-term security. For Europe, this isn’t just about Ukraine — it’s about defending the continent as a whole.
Oleksandr Kraiev, a Kyiv-based analyst, put it simply: “For Europe, Ukraine’s security is European security.”
Macron agreed, saying the delegation’s trip to Washington was about far more than supporting Zelensky. “We’re going to defend Europe’s interests,” he said.
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