EU Leaders to Join Zelenskyy in Meeting Trump Amid Fears of Going Alone

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is taking top European leaders with him to Washington for crunch talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Finnish President Alexander Stubb confirmed Sunday that they will join the trip as part of a coordinated move to show support for Kyiv.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also confirmed his participation, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was reportedly planning to go, too.

“Our aim tomorrow is to present a united front between Europeans and Ukrainians, reaffirming who is on the side of peace and international law,” said Macron at a press conference late on Sunday afternoon. “The security of Europeans and of France is at stake.”

“At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow,” von der Leyen said in a statement, prior to receiving the Ukrainian leader in Brussels for a virtual summit of the Coalition of the Willing, the informal grouping of European countries pushing for continued support for Kyiv.

Stefan Kornelius, spokesman for the German government, said that the purpose of Monday’s Oval Office visit “is to exchange information with … Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.” 

“Chancellor Merz will discuss the status of peace efforts with the heads of state and government and emphasise Germany’s interest in a quick peace agreement in Ukraine,” the spokesman said.

The meeting was called by Trump after he held talks in Alaska with Putin on Friday, where he claimed the two sides had agreed “on many points” but stopped short of outlining a peace plan. What was intended to be a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy has been presented by the U.S. administration as a precursor to a potential three-way negotiation that includes Putin.

Diplomats told POLITICO on Saturday that they expected European leaders to accompany Zelenskyy in a bid to ensure key red lines are not crossed, and that Ukraine is not forced against its will to give up territory to secure a deal.

Trump said he would try to bring the Ukrainian and Russian leaders together to work toward a peace agreement. Putin has so far rejected meeting with Zelenskyy and he gave no indication on Friday he had changed that position.

Trump said that during a call with Zelenskyy and European leaders on Saturday “it was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”

On that Saturday call, Trump reportedly told European leaders that he was open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine as part of his efforts to end the conflict.Trump reportedly told European leaders that he was open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine as part of his efforts to end the conflict. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Germany’s Merz welcomed the Trump administration’s willingness to share responsibility for Ukraine’s security, in an interview with German media on Saturday. “The good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone,” Merz said.

Ukraine’s European allies are also keen to avoid another ambush of Zelenskyy that could upend ties in this delicate moment. A disastrous Oval Office meeting in February between Trump and the Ukrainian president set the relationship back for months.

This breaking news story is being updated. Elisa Bertholomey contributed to this report from Paris.