“Ukraine Crisis: European Leaders Join Zelensky for Meeting With Trump”

European leaders will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington on Monday, seeking to revive efforts toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. The visit comes after President Donald Trump abandoned his push for a ceasefire during a summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Securing a ceasefire had been one of Trump’s central goals ahead of the Alaska talks — a summit that notably excluded Ukraine and its European allies. But after the meeting yielded no breakthrough, Trump instead ruled out an immediate halt to fighting, saying ceasefires “often do not hold up” and urging a direct peace agreement. The shift appeared to align with Putin’s stance and immediately drew criticism from Kyiv and Europe, who argue a ceasefire would simply allow Moscow to regroup and press its battlefield gains.

Among the leaders rallying behind Zelensky are German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Von der Leyen confirmed she would meet Zelensky in Brussels on Sunday, alongside other leaders via video, before traveling with him to Washington “at his request.” Berlin said Merz would emphasize Europe’s interest in a “swift peace agreement.”

Trump, briefing Zelensky and European leaders on his flight back from Alaska, revealed that Putin had proposed a deal: Ukraine cedes Donetsk and Luhansk (Donbas) to Russia in exchange for halting offensives in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, two southern regions still largely controlled by Kyiv. “The Ukrainian president refused to leave Donbas,” a source told AFP.

Trump also floated offering Ukraine U.S. security guarantees, which Merz called “significant progress.” Still, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed the Alaska summit outcome as a stalling tactic by Moscow. “The harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war any time soon,” she said.

For Zelensky, the stakes are high. His last Oval Office meeting in February ended in a shouting match, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance scolding him for “insufficient gratitude” over U.S. aid. In a Fox News interview after meeting Putin, Trump suggested it was now up to Zelensky to secure a deal before an eventual three-way summit with Putin. “It’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, the fighting raged on: Kyiv and Moscow launched fresh drone strikes on Sunday. From Moscow, Putin hailed his Alaska talks with Trump as “timely and very useful,” warning Ukraine and Europe against “behind-the-scenes intrigues” that could derail “emerging progress.”