Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington for high-stakes talks with United States President Donald Trump and top European leaders, as pressure mounts over the terms of a possible peace deal with Russia.
Zelensky touched down in the US capital late Sunday, joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland. The meeting comes just two days after Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which ended without a ceasefire but included pledges of “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine.
Trump made it clear that Kyiv would not be allowed to join NATO and would not get back Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “No getting back Obama-given Crimea, and no going into NATO. Some things never change.”
Zelensky, who has repeatedly rejected giving up Ukrainian land, said after arriving in Washington, “We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.”
European leaders are expected to press Trump for clarity on the “security guarantees” he discussed with Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron said, “We want to know to what extent Washington is ready to contribute.”
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, revealed that Russia had shown some flexibility regarding five regions it occupies partly or fully, including Donetsk, where Monday’s talks are expected to focus. A source also said Trump seemed open to Russia’s demand for parts of Donbas in exchange for freezing the frontline in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
The possibility of such concessions has alarmed European allies. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned, “For peace to prevail, pressure must be applied to the aggressor, not the victim of aggression.” Macron added, “There is only one state proposing a peace that would be a capitulation: Russia.”
While Trump has floated the idea of a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, Moscow has downplayed it. Meanwhile, Russian attacks continue. Ukrainian officials reported three deaths and dozens injured in Kharkiv on Monday, while strikes in Sumy wounded two more.
