Washington - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
US President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday evening. Zelensky has the support of several European leaders.
According to media reports in Brussels, including La Book magazine, US President Donald Trump has intensified his pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their crucial meeting at the White House. Trump said on Truth Social this morning, "Ukrainian President Zelensky could end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wanted to, or he could continue fighting," again placing the onus for reaching a peace agreement on Kyiv rather than on Russian President Vladimir Putin's foot-dragging.
Trump's Terms: Trump set his terms for peace, saying Ukraine would not reclaim Crimea, and "we would not join NATO because of it. Some things never change!!!" He did not set any conditions for Putin's Russia. Some things never change, in fact.
Zelensky's Response: "Peace must be permanent," Zelensky said in his post after arriving in Washington this morning. Not like years ago, when Ukraine was forced to cede Crimea and part of our east—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a launching pad for a new offensive. Or when Ukraine was granted so-called "security guarantees" in 1994, but they didn't work. According to European media in Brussels, including the Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, "An official agenda has not yet been announced, but according to CNN, the summit is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Belgian time with the arrival of European leaders at the White House. An hour later, Trump will formally receive Zelensky, and fifteen minutes later, he will hold a bilateral meeting with him. A tense moment, given the particularly turbulent meeting between the two leaders in February: Trump then criticized Zelensky in front of the entire world, a scene that stunned the world. The meeting is supposed to last only an hour, as Trump will receive the European leaders at 8:15 p.m. Belgian time, followed by a multilateral meeting with all leaders at 9:00 p.m. Belgian time. A number of leaders are expected to participate, including the French president, the German chancellor, the president of the European Commission, and others. What will be discussed? The summit comes three days after the summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Despite the grand promises and brief threats made by the US president to Russia in an attempt to broker a ceasefire, nothing has come of it: despite the agreements Following a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump reversed his position, and the US government no longer seeks a ceasefire, but rather immediate, comprehensive peace talks. Therefore, analysts and the international press described Putin as the "winner" of the Alaska summit.
The outlines drawn up by Trump and Putin have yet to be officially announced. What is known is that the United States will provide security guarantees to Ukraine, and that Russia will freeze the current frontline in exchange for ceding territory—specifically, Crimea and the Luhansk and Donetsk regions (including half of the region currently heavily defended by the Ukrainians).
Trump greeted Putin with respect. What is on the table, in terms of substance, is more serious. According to CNN, Russia's precise demands regarding territorial concessions and the framework for security guarantees for Ukraine, including how the United States would participate, will be discussed on Monday. The European-Ukrainian delegation will also ask Trump about the extent to which the United States is willing to contribute to the security guarantees provided to Ukraine in any peace agreement, whether or not it is based on Article 5 of the NATO Charter.