Zelensky, European Leaders to Meet Trump on Russia-Ukraine Deal
The high-stakes meeting follows a summit between Trump and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska that failed to reach a breakthrough but created a 'strong momentum toward a peace agreement with Ukraine,' according to Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Zelensky-Trump Meeting
The Ukrainian President will meet with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday at 17:15 GMT. Then, they will be joined by the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland and NATO in the White House's East Room at 19:00 GMT, Reuters reported citing the White House.
The presence of the European leaders seems to be an attempt to back the Ukrainian President and avoid the repetition of the February tense encounter between Trump and Zelensky.
Ceding Territory
The meeting comes at a crucial moment for Zelensky who faces mounting pressure to cede territory to Russia to end the war – a demand that Kyiv firmly rejects.
Moscow has long adhered to its demands to end the war in Ukraine. These include Ukraine's neutrality, abandoning its bid to join NATO, and ceding control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that Russia annexed in 2022, in addition to Crimea.
Russia's new proposed deal for ending the war includes Ukraine's full withdrawal from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Reuters reported citing sources briefed on the matter.
'We need real negotiations, which means we can start where the front line is now,' Zelensky said in Brussels on Sunday, adding that Ukraine's constitution prevents him from ceding territory.
Russian Conditions
On Sunday night, Trump revealed two key conditions that Zelensky has to accept to end the war, including giving up Crimea and never joining NATO.
'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. 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 wrote on Truth Social.
After the Alaska Summit, the US President also indicated support for Putin's preferred approach of negotiating a comprehensive deal instead of an immediate ceasefire, raising fears that he could press Zelensky to accept a deal favorable to Russia.
'Russia must end this war — the war it started. And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace,' Zelensky posted on Telegram after arriving in Washington late on Sunday.
Alaska Summit Outcomes
The US and Russian leaders did not speak much about the details of their Friday meeting. Trump described the talks as 'productive.'
In a joint press conference, Trump said: 'Many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there.'
Trump-Putin Agreements
On Sunday, however, Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, spoke about several major agreements reached at the Alaska Summit. He told CNN that they agreed on giving Ukraine security guarantees to deter any Russian future attacks.
'We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,' Witkoff said, adding that they include a provision that would establish a collective defense of Ukraine by the US and Europe against any future Russian invasion.
Witkoff also confirmed that Trump is working toward forging a comprehensive peace agreement. 'We made so much progress at this meeting with regard to all the other ingredients necessary for a peace deal that we, that President Trump, pivoted to that place,' he said.
Moreover, the US Envoy noted that Moscow made some concessions regarding its land demands, saying that the Russians now see land swapping at the current front lines of the war instead of the five regions that Putin has long wanted to annex.
'The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions,' Witkoff said, adding that the matter will be discussed with Zelensky at the Monday meeting.
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