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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders are heading to Washington on Monday for peace talks with President Donald Trump. The goal is to find a pathway to end Russia’s invasion, with the U.S. offering security guarantees for Kyiv. This summit follows a failed Alaska meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which made little progress toward an immediate ceasefire, despite Trump’s recent shift toward seeking a peace deal. On Sunday, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” without additional details.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff stated that the summit resulted in an agreement between Trump and Putin on providing solid security assurances for Ukraine. However, Zelensky dismissed Putin’s offer of security guarantees, emphasizing that such promises are unlikely from Russia. “What President Trump mentioned about security guarantees matters much more to me than Putin’s statements, because Putin isn’t going to give any guarantees,” Zelensky said during his visit to Brussels, hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen welcomed the U.S. proposal to provide security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5, but separate from it. “We appreciate President Trump’s willingness to help establish security measures akin to Article 5 for Ukraine. The coalition of willing nations, including the European Union, is ready to contribute,” she commented.
The leaders preparing to join Zelensky in Washington, collectively called the “coalition of the willing,” include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Ursula von der Leyen. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubbs—who have good relations with Trump—will also attend. On Sunday, the group held a video call to align their positions.
Witkoff expressed optimism about the meeting: “I hope we have a productive discussion on Monday, reach a real consensus, and push forward on a peace agreement with the Russians.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned NBC that failing to reach an agreement could lead to new sanctions against Russia.
European leaders have been cautious about Trump’s outreach to Putin, especially given that Putin has demanded Ukraine abandon efforts to join the EU or NATO. They were excluded from the recent Trump-Putin summit. According to a call summary from a briefing with Ukrainian President Zelensky and European officials, the U.S. indicates readiness to offer significant security guarantees involving territorial concessions. Trump reportedly supported a proposal from Putin, which involves Russia taking control of two eastern Ukrainian regions in exchange for a ceasefire in other areas.
The exchange suggests Russia’s de facto demand for Ukraine to cede Donbas, comprising Donetsk and Lugansk regions, with Russian forces halting their offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—key southern Ukrainian regions still under Kyiv’s control. Despite claiming to have annexed these territories, Russian troops do not hold full control of any of them as the invasion persists. Both Kyiv and Moscow continue to attack each other with drones, signaling ongoing hostilities.
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