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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be meeting in Washington DC today. The meeting comes only three days after Trump had "productive" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Hours before meeting Zelenskyy, Trump said that Ukrainian President could "end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to". The US President stated that Kyiv should not pursue NATO membership and that Crimea, annexed during former President Barack Obama’s tenure, would not be returned.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and no going into Nato by Ukraine. Some things never change!"
Trump further said that he was readying for a major day at the White House with several European leaders. He added that it was a great honour to host so many European leaders together at one time. Among the European leaders who will be at the meeting in Washington are UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb will also join the meeting, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will accompany Zelenskyy to the Oval Office today as well.
It was in February this year, Zelenskyy visited the White House, where he was reportedly reprimanded by his American hosts before being abruptly asked to leave. A national leader was publicly humiliated in a scolding that the US President later remarked would make for good television.
As Zelenskyy meets Trump again on Monday, the European leaders are accompanying him to ensure that the Ukraine doesn't get a raw deal and its security interests are not compromised. They will be by Zelenskyy's side so that a solution to the Ukraine conflict makes some headway and doesn't collapse like the February meeting. They are deeply worried about a repeat of the Oval Office incident and therefore, they want to support Zelenskyy fully.
In fact, it's Zelenskyy who sought European support for the Monday meeting. Recently, in Brussels, he said standing alongside von der Leyen: “It’s very important that you are with us and that we speak to America together. It’s crucial that Europe is as united now as it was at the very beginning — as it was in 2022. This unity really helps encourage real peace and it must stay strong.”
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press' that while a possible ceasefire is “not off the table”, the preferable path to ending the war would be a “comprehensive peace deal”. Putin has refused to meet Zelenskyy in person, saying that such a meeting should only happen once the foundation for a peace deal is in place.
US and Russian leaders have explored proposals under which Russia would give up small pockets of occupied Ukrainian territory in return for Kyiv ceding a stretch of fortified land in the east and agreeing to freeze the front lines elsewhere, according to a Reuters report.
It is against this backdrop that the meeting is taking place. Many EU leaders have been emphasising that any future peace agreement should include strong security assurances or guarantees for Ukraine. The European leaders are joining Zelenskyy because they don't want Trump to tilt towards Russia and pressure or bully Zelenskyy into a deal. The discussions will revolve towards an agreement that is mutually acceptable to both the countries.
Territorial questions are likely to be discussed in detail. Russia’s demand for Ukraine to cede Donetsk and Luhansk will also be taken up. Security guarantees for Ukraine is also believed to be the key focus on the discussion.
Trump has made it clear that Ukraine shouldn't insist on NATO membership. Today's talks are expected to enforce a settlement through NATO and European allies, even if Kyiv remains out of the bloc. European leaders will ensure that Ukraine is accorded a proper place in all negotiations taken by the group. On Sunday, EU’s Ursula von der Leyen said: “With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force. These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.”
If the talks break ground and bring the leaders closer, they could pave the way for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy in a few months from now.
