Zelenskyy EU leaders meet Trump in DC

Ukrainian president and European leaders meet Donald Trump at the White House as talks involving Putin continue.

Zelenskyy and EU leaders visit Trump amid Putin peace talks

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukraine could end the war with Russia almost immediately if Zelenskiy wants to. He spoke ahead of a White House meeting on Monday with Zelenskiy and several European leaders. The gathering signals a bid to project Western unity even as the war continues and after Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Leaders including Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, and Alexander Stubb confirmed they would attend in Washington. Zelenskiy and von der Leyen had met in Brussels to set priorities for the White House session, focusing on long term military aid, Ukraine EU ambitions, and bolstering transatlantic solidarity against Russian aggression. Von der Leyen said she was glad to join Zelenskiy and other leaders in Washington on Monday.

The visit reads like a diplomacy drill aimed at showing unity in a volatile moment. Trump uses blunt rhetoric to frame the conflict in simple terms, which can attract attention but also risk inflating expectations. European leaders seek a steady, long haul approach that can keep military and political support flowing beyond headlines. The tension between a president who thrives on public theatrics and a coalition that values multilateral steadiness is a key test of how much substance can be pulled from a high profile meeting.

This kind of gathering matters for public perception as much as for policy. If the talks produce concrete pledges and a clear timetable for aid, they could stabilize ally confidence and Ukraine strategy. If not, the spectacle may feed fatigue or skepticism at home and abroad. Either way, the event signals that transatlantic ties remain a central tool in how Western powers respond to a protracted war.

Highlights

What comes next will reveal how durable Western unity is.