Europe closes ranks with Zelensky before his meeting with Trump at the White House.

BarcelonaVolodymyr Zelensky will arrive in Washington this Monday accompanied by an entourage of top European political leaders to meet with Donald Trump at the White House. An image that confirms Europe's support for Kiev, but also fears about the decisive nature of what will be discussed at the meeting. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; French President Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; and Finnish President Alexander Stubb—who make up the so-called Coalition of the Willing—will travel to the United States on Monday to "continue the work of coordination between Europe and the United States, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace that preserves the vital interests of Ukraine" and the security of Ukraine.

The meeting between Trump and Zelensky, confirmed yesterday by both leaders, comes after The Alaska summit where Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the possibility of taking control of the Ukrainian region of Donbas with his American counterpart. In exchange for freezing the front in Ukraine. The US president is expected to inform Zelensky on Monday about the content of his meeting with Putin and propose a territorial concession plan in which Ukraine would give up this region (more than 75% of which is occupied by Moscow) in exchange for freezing the front. Furthermore, Russia would agree to the United States and Europe offering security guarantees to Kiev, a demand that has long been on Zelensky's wish list.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was present at the summit, explained to CNN that on Friday, Putin agreed to Washington and its European allies offering "robust guarantees" of security in Ukraine, similar to NATO's collective defense mandate, in exchange for NATO's defense. "We got the following concession: that the United States could offer protection similar to that of Article 5," Witkoff said. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is the symbolic core of NATO. It stipulates that an attack against one of the parties will be considered an attack against all and, consequently, that all members may respond. In exchange for this protection, Kiev would not formally join NATO. Furthermore, Witkoff confirmed that he had obtained from Russia a guarantee of "legislative enshrinement not to attack any other territory when the peace agreement is signed, and another not to attack any other country."

Zelensky described this White House proposal as a "historic decision," but insisted that the guarantees must be "practical" and serve to "protect on land, sea, and air." He also demanded again in a trilateral meeting to discuss the key issues of a possible agreement.

Cession of Territories

According to diplomatic sources speaking to Reuters, Putin and Trump also reportedly discussed the possibility of Russia giving up some parts of occupied Ukraine (most likely Zaporizhia and Kherson) in exchange for Ukraine ceding a strip of land in the east, namely the provinces of Donetsk and Luhan. Now, Witkoff says that "the five" regions were discussed between Trump and Putin and are "at the heart of the agreement" for peace in Ukraine.

But Zelensky and von der Leyen have expressed their total opposition to any kind of concession in Moscow this Sunday. To coordinate ahead of the trip to Washington, the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing held a virtual meeting with the President of the Commission and the Ukrainian President, the latter two from Brussels, from where they made an appearance before the press. "Ukraine's Constitution makes it impossible to cede territory or exchange land," Zelensky argued, adding that "negotiations must begin where the front line is at the moment." Zelensky reiterated his emphasis on security guarantees in Washington, and in this regard, von der Leyen said that Europe is "ready to make its contribution," aware that "the work of defending Europe is above all our responsibility."

The President of the European Council, António Costa, representing the gathered leaders, also joined forces with Zelensky and welcomed Washington's willingness to offer security guarantees in Ukraine. But he also took a firm stance against Russia. If a ceasefire is not agreed upon, he said, the European Union and the United States will have to impose sanctions on Moscow. Macron echoed the sentiment, arguing that Ukraine and Europe must present a "united front" against Washington and arguing that "Ukraine needs a strong army." "No country can afford to lose territory unless it has security guarantees for the remaining territory," Macron said.

Tactical Concessions

Another issue facing the meeting is whether a ceasefire will be discussed prior to a peace agreement. While Trump expressed his desire to obtain a ceasefire on the same day as the meeting with Putin in Alaska, upon leaving, he changed his mind and stated that he did not consider it necessary to agree to a truce before a peace agreement, a shift that effectively allows Moscow to continue to press the front lines with attacks. Trump, therefore, has not only legitimized Putin and broken his international semi-isolation, but has also made him a very generous tactical concession. The meeting at the White House will reveal the extent of his rapport with the Russian leader.

Washington is optimistic about the meeting: "I'm not saying we're on the verge of a peace agreement, but I am saying we've seen movement, enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelensky and the Europeans," Marco Rubio stated. But the Secretary of State has also hinted that, if there is no agreement, the US will maintain the sanctions imposed on Russia and could even tighten them.

It remains unclear whether the Europeans will have a seat at the negotiating table in Washington or whether the scene of a lonely, intimidated Zelensky facing Trump in the Oval Office will be repeated. The tone from the White House in recent days suggests that this time the American president will be more conciliatory. "[The European leaders] won't be coming tomorrow to keep Zelensky from being bullied. They'll be coming because we've been working with the Europeans," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But Trump seems as unpredictable as ever. This morning, he wrote in a post on his social media: "Great progress in Russia. Stay tuned."