Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington for high-level negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing war with Russia. He is joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and several European leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, as well as the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland.
The talks come just days after U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Although that meeting failed to deliver a ceasefire agreement, both leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with “robust security guarantees.” Notably, Zelensky was not invited to the Alaska summit, where Trump echoed long-standing Russian positions that a ceasefire was unnecessary before a final settlement could be reached.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump stated: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. 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!!!”
Despite Trump’s firm stance that reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO is off the table for Ukraine, Zelensky reiterated on Sunday evening upon his arrival in Washington: “We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.”
Security Guarantees on the Table
Since a heated confrontation with Zelensky in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused him of being “ungrateful,” the U.S. president has adopted a more critical view of Putin. Still, Washington has avoided imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow. Meanwhile, Putin’s reception in Alaska — his first trip to the West since the 2022 invasion — was widely regarded as a diplomatic victory for Russia.
Trump has suggested that Ukraine could receive a collective defense pledge similar to NATO’s Article 5 but outside the formal alliance structure. Macron said European leaders would press Trump for details on “the extent of Washington’s contribution to Ukraine’s security guarantees.”
Disputes Over Land
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Moscow had shown “some flexibility” regarding the five Ukrainian regions under its control, particularly Donetsk. He noted that further discussions on Donetsk would take place on Monday.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and, in 2022, declared four more Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — as its territory, even though it has not fully occupied them. According to a source familiar with Trump’s recent call with European leaders, the U.S. president appeared open to supporting a Russian demand for parts of the Donbas region — including Donetsk and Lugansk — in exchange for freezing the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russia has captured significant areas but not the main cities.
So far, Moscow has demanded a full Ukrainian withdrawal from all four contested regions as a prerequisite for peace.
Concerns in Europe
European leaders have voiced alarm that Washington could pressure Kyiv into territorial concessions. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski insisted: “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 Zelensky has firmly rejected the idea of ceding land, he indicated openness to discussing the issue within the framework of a trilateral summit involving Trump and Putin. Trump has floated the idea, but Moscow has downplayed its likelihood.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to press forward, particularly in Donetsk. On Monday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian strikes on Kharkiv killed three civilians and injured dozens, while an overnight attack on Sumy, near the Russian border, wounded two more people.
