Zelensky in Brussels to meet von der Leyen ahead of Washington visit
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information on President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Brussels.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels for a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov told journalists on Aug. 17.
A joint press briefing is scheduled afterward, followed by a meeting of leaders of the "coalition of the willing."
Von der Leyen said she would also participate in the "coalition of the willing" meeting to show European unity and support for Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to lead the videoconference.
Von der Leyen is among the European leaders expected to accompany Zelensky when he travels to the U.S. on Monday for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
"At the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow," von der Leyen wrote on X.
According to Politico, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, a trusted Trump interlocutor, may also accompany Zelensky to Washington to ensure Europe has a voice in the negotiations. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is reportedly considering joining the trip as well.
The visit follows Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, where the U.S. leader said he would try to bring Putin and Zelensky together for trilateral talks on a possible peace deal.
No breakthrough was achieved in Alaska, but Putin received a red-carpet welcome that raised concerns among European allies.
Privately, officials reportedly 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. The clash led Trump to cancel a planned U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement and publicly accuse Zelensky of "disrespecting the United States" in a post on Truth Social.
