European leaders to join Volodymyr Zelensky for meeting with Donald Trump
European leaders said Sunday that they would join President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine when he meets with President Donald Trump on Monday at the White House, as they strive to show solidarity against Russia and avoid being sidelined in peace talks.
“Our goal tomorrow is to present a united front between Europeans and Ukrainians,” President Emmanuel Macron of France told reporters.
“I don’t believe Putin wants peace. I believe he wants Ukraine’s capitulation.”
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Macron will be one of at least six European leaders — including Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and President Alexander Stubb of Finland, two of Mr Trump’s favoured counterparts — travelling to Washington.
The trip highlights the continent’s effort to smooth relations between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, whose last White House meeting in February descended into a public clash.
European leaders have spent months cultivating ties with Mr Trump to strengthen their hand in pressing Ukraine’s case, while also coaching Mr Zelensky on how to better engage with Mr Trump.
On Sunday, the Europeans and other partners met online and in person with Mr Zelensky to prepare for the meeting in Washington.
“We’ll give a few good pieces of advice,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany told the German television broadcaster ZDF ahead of the meeting.
He will also join the Washington meeting, along with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy; NATO’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte; and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Union’s executive arm.
Mr Trump will first meet with Mr Zelensky. They are then scheduled to join a working lunch and a larger meeting with the other European leaders, according to European officials familiar with the preparations for the day.
The meeting will come three days after talks in Alaska between Mr Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia ended inconclusively but fueled concerns in Europe that Mr Trump’s thinking may have tilted toward Russia’s position.
After their summit, Mr Trump sided with the Russian President in calling for a direct peace agreement that would quite likely see Ukraine cede unconquered territory to Russia, rather than securing a ceasefire first.
Negotiations instead of an immediate ceasefire would give Russia time to exploit its battlefield advantage to seize territory before any front lines are settled.
Mr Trump claimed that Mr Zelensky and European leaders had agreed on the point. But the group had instead called for refusing to discuss peace terms until a ceasefire was in place.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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Originally published on The New York Times
