Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is taking top European leaders with him to Washington for crunch talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb confirmed on Sunday that they will join the trip as part of a coordinated move to show support for Kyiv.
“At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow,” von der Leyen said in a statement, prior to receiving the Ukrainian leader in Brussels for a virtual summit of the Coalition of the Willing, the informal grouping of European countries pushing for continued support for Kyiv.
Stefan Kornelius, spokesman for the German government, said that the purpose of Monday’s Oval Office visit “is to exchange information with … Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.”
“Chancellor Merz will discuss the status of peace efforts with the heads of state and government and emphasise Germany’s interest in a quick peace agreement in Ukraine,” the spokesman said.
The meeting was called by Trump after he held talks in Alaska with Putin on Friday, where he claimed the two sides had agreed “on many points” but stopped short of outlining a peace plan. What was intended to be a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy has been presented by the U.S. administration as a precursor to a potential three-way negotiation that includes Putin.
Diplomats told POLITICO on Saturday that they expected European leaders to accompany Zelenskyy in a bid to ensure key red lines are not crossed, and that Ukraine is not forced against its will to give up territory to secure a deal.
This breaking news story is being updated.
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