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European leaders including Starmer to join Zelenskyy in Washington for meeting with Trump European leaders including Starmer to join Zelenskyy in Washington for meeting with Trump
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Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and others will aim to push back against ceding of Ukraine territory in ‘peace plan’Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and others will aim to push back against ceding of Ukraine territory in ‘peace plan’
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European leaders including Britain’s Keir Starmer will join Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at a White House meeting on Monday with Donald Trump, in a coordinated effort to push back on a US-endorsed “peace plan” that would allow Russia to take further Ukrainian territory. European leaders including Keir Starmer will join Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a White House meeting with Donald Trump on Monday in an extraordinary joint effort to push back on a US-backed plan that would allow Russia to take further Ukrainian territory.
The UK prime minister, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, and Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will all accompany Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. As well as the UK prime minister, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Italy’s PM, Giorgia Meloni, and the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, will all accompany Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
“The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression. This includes maintaining pressure on sanctions,” Germany’s government said. Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, will also attend.
The purpose of the trip was to achieve a “fair and lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine’s vital interests and Europe’s security”, the French presidency added. The unprecedented show of support seems designed to prevent a repeat of the public mauling experienced by Zelenskyy during his last trip to the White House, in February, when Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, accused him of ingratitude and disrespect and told him: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.”
A video call organised by the UK, France and Germany is due to take place on Sunday with other European allies. It follows reports that Trump will back a plan to cede unoccupied Ukrainian territory to Russia to secure an end to the war between the two countries. Trump, after his summit on Friday with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, has reportedly endorsed the Kremlin’s one-sided plan to end the war in Ukraine. It includes Kyiv giving up territory that Russia has been unable to seize and no ceasefire until a final deal has been agreed.
Trump told European leaders that he believed a peace deal could be negotiated if Zelenskyy agreed to give up the Donbas region, which Russian invaders have not been able to seize in more than three years of fighting, the New York Times reported, citing two senior European officials. Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused the media of misrepresenting his “great meeting in Alaska” – an encounter widely seen as a victory for Putin and a humiliation for the US president. On Sunday, Trump claimed he had made “big progress” on Russia, without giving details.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the talks in Alaska told the Guardian that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as a condition for ending the war, but offered Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline. European leaders on Monday will reaffirm their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and argue against a land swap plan that rewards Russian aggression. They will also seek further clarity on what security guarantees the US is willing to offer in the event of a settlement.
Although Luhansk is almost entirely under Russian control, Ukraine still holds key parts of Donetsk, including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and heavily fortified positions whose defence has cost tens of thousands of lives. In a conciliatory statement announcing his visit to Washington, Starmer praised Trump for his “efforts to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine”. At the same time, Starmer reasserted Europe’s red lines. He said the “path to peace” could not be decided without Zelenskyy and said Russia should be “squeezed” with further sanctions.
Putin told Trump that in exchange for Donetsk and Luhansk he would halt further advances and freeze the frontline in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces occupy significant areas. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin had agreed for the first time for the US and Europe to provide protection to Ukraine as part of a deal. This would be outside the auspices of Nato but would be the equivalent of the alliance’s article 5 self-defence pact, Witkoff indicated.
Trump’s support for ceding Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is rich in mineral resources including coal and iron ore, to Russia came as he voiced support for moving straight to a peace deal and not via a ceasefire, which, Trump said in a social media post on Saturday, “often times do not hold up”. Speaking in Brussels alongside von der Leyen, Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s latest demand for more land. The Russians want Ukraine to cede the entirety of the Donetsk region, including a number of Ukrainian-controlled cities, as well as Luhansk province, which Moscow mostly occupies.
US support for ceding the Donbas to Russia represents a breach with Ukraine and European allies that oppose such a deal. According to Reuters, Russia is demanding 6,600 sq km of Donbas, while offering to withdraw from 440 sq km in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Zelenskyy said Putin had been trying for 12 years to fully capture Donetsk oblast, without success. He said the current frontline should form the basis for negotiations, adding that territory could only be discussed in a three-way format with Kyiv at the table. A powerful Ukrainian army was the best security guarantee, he added.
As part of a deal, the US is ready to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine, Merz said on Saturday. Trump has threatened economic penalties on countries that buy Russian oil if Moscow refuses a deal, and flew US bombers over the Russian leader as he arrived in Alaska. Starmer, Merz and Macron hosted a video call with European allies on Sunday before their Washington trip. “Ukraine must be a steel porcupine, indigestible for potential invaders,” von der Leyen said, stressing there could be no Russian-mandated limits on Ukraine’s armed forces.
But Ukrainian and European leaders fear that a straight-to-peace deal, skipping over a preliminary ceasefire, gives Moscow an upper hand in talks. According to the New York Times, Trump told European leaders he believed a peace deal could be negotiated if Zelenskyy agreed to give up the Donetsk region. They were unconvinced. The EU shares the Ukrainian view that Putin would use any new territory as a springboard for a further attack.
Trump complained about media coverage of his summit with Putin on his social network Truth Social on Sunday. “It’s incredible how the Fake News violently distorts the TRUTH when it comes to me,” he posted. “There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!” Two sources with direct knowledge of the talks in Alaska told the Guardian that Putin had offered to freeze the frontline in southern Ukraine if he got Donbas. The plan would mean thousands of civilians would be forced to abandon their homes in key eastern cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which have withstood years of Russian attacks.
He added: “If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal.” Without giving further details, he promised: “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” Before Friday’s Alaska summit, Trump said he wanted an immediate ceasefire. Over the weekend, however, the US president endorsed Russia’s demand for a peace deal first and a truce second. Ceasefires “often times do not hold up”, Trump said in a social media post.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, the former British defence secretary Ben Wallace said he was “not very optimistic” that Monday’s Oval Office talks would lead to peace. He said he hoped the “unedifying pincer movement” – when Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, attacked Zelenskyy during their previous meeting in February – would not be repeated. Trump also appears to have dropped his threat of economic penalties on countries that buy Russian oil if Moscow refuses a deal. He has repeatedly threatened to impose secondary sanctions, setting various deadlines and failing to follow through when they expire.
Wallace said Trump’s apparent endorsement of Putin’s territorial demands amounted to 1930s-style “appeasement”. He said the strategy – with pressure piled on Ukraine to agree – may save lives “in the short term” but in the long term “would probably put us at greater risk”. Trump on Sunday expressed his frustration at recent media coverage. “It’s incredible how the Fake News violently distorts the TRUTH when it comes to me,” he posted. “There is NOTHING I can say or do that would lead them to write or report honestly about me. I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!”
Trump claimed on Saturday in his post that “it was determined by all” that it was better to go directly to negotiate a peace agreement, though European leaders indicated this was not their view. He added: “If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal.”
A joint statement issued by European leaders said they were “ready to work with US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support” but “it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force”. Speaking to the BBC, the former British defence secretary Ben Wallace described Trump’s apparent support for Putin’s demands as 1930s-style “appeasement”. He said the strategy – with pressure piled on Ukraine to agree – may save lives “in the short term” but in the long term “would probably put us at greater risk”.
A joint statement issued by European leaders on Saturday said they were “ready to work with US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support” but “it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force.”
They said they welcomed “President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace”.They said they welcomed “President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace”.
Zelenskyy said in a statement after his conversations with Trump and the European leaders: “The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned.”Zelenskyy said in a statement after his conversations with Trump and the European leaders: “The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned.”
In a later statement on social media on Saturday he added that the move to go directly to a peace agreement without a ceasefire first “complicates the situation”.
If Moscow lacks “the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades”, he said.
European leaders, including Macron, Merz and Starmer, are set to discuss the issues with Zelenskyy on Sunday via a video call before his meeting with Trump, the French president’s office said in a statement.
Olga Tokariuk, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said Zelenskyy had a “difficult task” in Washington. He had to “demonstrate that Ukraine wants peace, but not at any cost, to ensure Ukraine still gets US support,” she said. At the same time he could not make concessions “unacceptable for Ukrainians”.Olga Tokariuk, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said Zelenskyy had a “difficult task” in Washington. He had to “demonstrate that Ukraine wants peace, but not at any cost, to ensure Ukraine still gets US support,” she said. At the same time he could not make concessions “unacceptable for Ukrainians”.
Trump was unlikely to treat Zelenskyy with the “same friendliness as Putin”, she predicted. “The US under Trump is no longer willing to stand by its democratic allies, while instead it is embracing the tyrants,” she added.Trump was unlikely to treat Zelenskyy with the “same friendliness as Putin”, she predicted. “The US under Trump is no longer willing to stand by its democratic allies, while instead it is embracing the tyrants,” she added.
Additional reporting by Edward Helmore and Pjotr Sauer Additional reporting by Peter Walker