Top European leaders to join Zelensky in Washington for Trump talks
Editor's note: This story has been updated with official confirmations of European leaders joining President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Aug. 18.
European leaders will personally accompany President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington on Aug. 18 for his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, officials confirmed on Aug. 17.
The move comes after Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, where the U.S. leader said he would seek to bring Putin and Zelensky together for trilateral talks on a peace deal.
No breakthrough was achieved in Alaska, but Putin received a red-carpet welcome that raised alarm among European allies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X that she will welcome Zelensky in Brussels on Aug. 17 and participate together in the online "coalition of the willing" videoconference.
At Zelensky's request, von der Leyen will also join the White House meeting with Trump and other European leaders.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also travel to Washington alongside Zelensky and other European heads of state and government.
According to the German government, the discussions will cover the state of peace efforts, security guarantees, territorial questions, continued support for Ukraine, and maintaining sanctions pressure.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also join Zelensky in Washington, according to BMFTV, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is expected to attend, according to Sky News.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb will also join the delegation, the Finnish presidential office confirmed, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is participating in the talks as well.
European officials see the summit as pivotal to preventing Trump from conceding to Russian demands that Kyiv finds unacceptable, including ceding territory partially occupied by Moscow, Politico reported on Aug. 16.
Privately, officials fear a repeat of February, when a meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office devolved into a heated argument over U.S. aid to Ukraine, Politico says.
The clash in February led Trump to cancel a planned U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement and publicly accuse Zelensky of having "disrespected the United States of America in the cherished Oval Office" in a post on Truth Social.
After the Alaska meeting, Trump said he negotiated with Putin over possible land swaps, but declined to give details.
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to lead a videoconference on Aug. 17 with members of the so-called "coalition of the willing" — countries that have pledged to provide security support to Ukraine after a potential peace deal.
