European leaders are set to accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, as pressure mounts over possible terms for ending the war in Ukraine.
Those expected to attend include UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The talks come just days after Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which ended without a ceasefire agreement. Trump has since announced that he prefers to pursue a permanent peace settlement rather than an interim ceasefire, writing that ceasefires “often times do not hold up.”
According to diplomatic sources cited by CBS, European officials fear Trump may pressure Zelensky to accept elements of a proposal reportedly raised by Putin. The Russian leader is said to have suggested that Ukraine withdraw from the Donetsk region of Donbas in exchange for freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russia currently claims the Donbas as its territory, controlling most of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk. It also annexed Crimea in 2014, years before its full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out ceding territory, warning that giving up Donbas would provide Moscow with a launchpad for future offensives.
Meeting Zelensky in Brussels on Sunday, von der Leyen stressed that any peace agreement must uphold international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty. “These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone,” she said, adding that Europe’s borders “cannot be changed by force.”
Zelensky echoed that message, reiterating that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits territorial concessions. He insisted that discussions on sovereignty should be limited to Ukraine and Russia at a trilateral summit and underscored the need for a ceasefire as a foundation for a “final deal.”
Monday’s meeting will mark Zelensky’s return to the White House after a tense encounter in February, when Trump told him to be more “thankful” for US assistance and accused him of risking “World War Three.” The two appeared to reconcile in April during a brief meeting, which the White House described as “productive,” ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral.
Kyiv has since deepened its economic ties with Washington, signing a minerals deal that gives the US a financial stake in Ukraine while agreeing to directly pay for American weapons. Still, the optics of Trump’s warm reception of Putin in Alaska—including a red-carpet welcome for the Russian leader, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant—have fueled unease in Kyiv and across Europe.
The White House meeting on Monday is expected to be pivotal in shaping the next phase of diplomacy, with European leaders determined to ensure Ukraine’s voice remains central in any talks over its future.
