European and NATO officials announced Sunday that they will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington for high-level discussions with President Trump, signaling strong backing for Ukraine after Trump’s recent one-on-one summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Numerous European leaders confirmed they would stand alongside Zelenskyy when he meets with Trump at the White House on Monday. The coordinated move appears aimed at preventing a repeat of the tense Oval Office meeting in February, when Trump harshly criticized Zelenskyy during their talks.
The joint appearance underscores Europe’s commitment to Ukraine and reflects worries that Kyiv could be pressured into accepting a peace plan Trump has expressed interest in brokering with Moscow. European leaders want to ensure they have a seat at the table as these discussions unfold. It remains uncertain whether all of the European leaders will sit in on Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy or whether some will participate only in side discussions.
Zelenskyy addressed the ongoing talks in a post to Telegram, saying: “We see that Russia rejects numerous demands for a ceasefire and still has not determined when it will stop the killings. This complicates the situation. If they have no will to implement a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort for Russia to develop the will to implement much more, namely peaceful life with neighbors for decades. But we all work together for peace and security. Stopping the killings is a key element of ending the war.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on X that she will attend the talks at Zelenskyy’s request. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is also confirmed to join, according to his office. In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he will travel to Washington “alongside President Zelenskyy,” though it did not confirm his direct involvement in the White House meeting. Similarly, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be part of the European delegation, but his office did not clarify if he will join the talks with Trump.
Appearing on Face the Nation Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio pushed back on the idea that European officials were primarily coming to Washington to shield Zelenskyy from unfavorable terms: “These meetings have been in the works for weeks. They’re not coming here suddenly because of what happened before. They were invited by the president, and they’re here because it was planned.” Rubio added that while the Trump-Putin summit last week didn’t yield a breakthrough, there was enough progress to justify moving forward. “We’re not on the verge of a peace agreement, but there was movement — enough to warrant further discussions with Zelenskyy and our European partners, and enough for us to devote more time to this process.”
Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com