European leaders to affix Zelensky at White Home assembly with Trump

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/38b3/live/43278730-7b66-11f0-9ae5-8b78450e5cf0.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="EPA Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron chat after holding a meeting during a summit on Ukraine at Lancaster House in London, UK, on 2 March 2025." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> EPA European leaders have mentioned they are going to be part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his assembly with US President Donald Trump on the White Home on Monday.

It comes after Trump failed to succeed in a deal on ending the struggle in Ukraine throughout a gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

The US president has since mentioned he desires to bypass securing a ceasefire in Ukraine in favour of a everlasting peace settlement.

These travelling to Washington embody Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary-Basic Mark Rutte.

Securing a ceasefire in Ukraine had been one in all Trump's core calls for earlier than assembly Putin, however he afterwards posted on social media that they "usually instances don't maintain up" and that it could be higher "to go on to a peace settlement".

European leaders have reacted with warning to the end result of the Trump-Putin assembly, in search of to not criticise the change of path regardless of their long-held assist for a ceasefire.

Putin reportedly introduced Trump with a peace supply that might require Ukraine withdrawing from the Donetsk area of the Donbas, in return for Russia freezing the entrance traces in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Russia claims the Donbas as Russian territory, controlling most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk. It additionally illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, eight years earlier than launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's president has beforehand dominated out ceding management of the Donbas - composed of the Luhansk and Donetsk areas - saying it might be used as a springboard for future Russian assaults.

On Sunday, Trump's particular envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned Putin had agreed in Alaska that the US would supply Ukraine with "strong safety ensures that I'd describe as sport altering".

Witkoff instructed CNN that talks in Alaska "acquired to an settlement that the US and different European nations might successfully supply Article 5-like language to cowl a safety assure".

Nato's Article 5 states that an assault on one member is taken into account an assault on all.

Putin opposes Ukraine becoming a member of Nato, and Witkoff mentioned this association might be another if "the Ukrainians might dwell with that".

Witkoff additionally mentioned Russia had "made some concessions on the desk" about territory.

He added that the Donetsk area constitutes an "vital dialogue" - one which he says will occur tomorrow.

The BBC's US companion CBS cited diplomatic sources as saying that European officers had been involved Trump could attempt to press Zelensky to comply with the phrases mentioned with Russia in Alaska.

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in beneath 2 minutes

Von der Leyen met Zelensky in Brussels on Sunday. In a press convention after, she mentioned that any peace deal should embody safety ensures for Ukraine and Europe, and that worldwide borders couldn't be modified by pressure.

"These are selections to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone," she mentioned. "These selections should not be taken with out Ukraine within the desk."

Zelensky reiterated that the Ukrainian structure makes it unattainable to concede territory to Russia and that the difficulty ought to solely be mentioned by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at a trilateral summit.

The Ukrainian chief reiterated the necessity for a ceasefire earlier than working rapidly on a "ultimate deal".

Monday's White Home assembly will likely be Zelensky's first since an acrimonious public alternate within the Oval Workplace in February, when Trump instructed him to be extra "grateful" for US assist and accused him of "playing with World Warfare Three".

Zelensky was then instructed to go away the White Home.

He appeared to reconcile with Trump in April, in what the White Home described as a "very productive" 15-minute assembly earlier than they attended Pope Francis's funeral.

Ukraine has additionally signed a minerals deal that gave the US a monetary stake within the nation, and Kyiv made it clear they had been prepared to pay for US arms.

However there may have been concern in Kyiv and different European capitals following the Trump-Putin assembly on Friday.

The Russian president, who's going through an Worldwide Felony Courtroom arrest warrant for alleged struggle crimes in Ukraine, stepped off his jet and onto a crimson carpet to be warmly acquired by Trump, who later mentioned that they had a "implausible relationship".