European leaders from Germany, France and Britain announced their intention to accompany Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. This comes at a time when the Europeans seek to provide political and security support to Zelinski while Trump is pressing for a quick settlement of the war.
A preparatory meeting in Europe
A day before the meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Kiir Starmer hosted a meeting of Kiev’s allies with the aim of strengthening Zelinski’s position and ensuring strong security guarantees that include a central American role.
Trump meeting – Putin in Alaska
This movement comes after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. According to sources, discussions took place on proposals that included freezing most of the fighting lines in exchange for mutual concessions on some lands in the Ukrainian East. However, some of these proposals may be difficult to accept for Kev, which threatens complex negotiations.
European fears of previous scenarios
The Europeans are keen to avoid the repetition of the scene of the former meeting of Zelinski at the White House last February, which witnessed public tension with Trump and his deputy, GD Verse. Therefore, they focus on building a common floor that allows to get out of negotiations with a stronger situation.
Wide participation of European Union leaders
Besides Mertz, Macron and Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Line, Finland’s President Alexander Stop, and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni will also go to Washington. European officials confirm that the talks will include security guarantees, regional issues and the continued military and political support of Ukraine.
Russian diplomatic moves
For his part, Putin briefed his ally, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the results of the Alaska summit, and he spoke with the President of Kazakhstan Qassem Darter Tukayev. As for Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he made contacts with his counterparts in Türkiye and Hungary, in reference to the continued diplomacy of Moscow with countries with different positions inside Europe.
Trump and Putin’s comments
“Russia is a great power, and it must be seriously thinking about ending the war through an agreement,” Trump said Trump after his meeting with Putin. As for Zelinski, he stressed that “stopping the killing is an essential element of the cessation of the war,” considering that the absence of the ceasefire will hold any long -term settlement. For his part, he renewed his traditional stances, stressing the refusal to expand NATO towards Ukraine, and warning of “attempts to obstruct progress through provocations or hidden maneuvers.”
The prospects for negotiations
The upcoming talks in Washington are candidates to be difficult, as the Europeans seek to ensure Ukraine remains at the negotiating table, and to collect strong security guarantees in a clear American role, while Russia continues to cling to its basic demands. Among these situations, Trump is trying to formulate an agreement that ends the longest and violent war in Europe for decades.