French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among those expected to join Zelensky for the discussions
DNA
Washington/Brussels, Aug 17 — A high-stakes round of diplomacy is set to unfold in Washington on Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in the US capital for talks with President Donald Trump. A number of senior European leaders have confirmed their participation in the White House meeting, underscoring Europe’s push to be seen as central to any settlement of the Ukraine war.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among those expected to join Zelensky for the discussions. Their presence is widely interpreted as an effort to convince Trump that Europe remains indispensable to the peace deal he has repeatedly said he wants to secure.
According to the BBC’s James Waterhouse, European capitals are wary of being sidelined as Trump seeks to directly broker a deal with Moscow and Kyiv. By standing alongside Zelensky in Washington, leaders hope to remind the US president that any sustainable peace will require transatlantic coordination and European guarantees.
The White House talks will follow a Sunday conference call between France, Germany, the UK, Ukraine, and other allies to align positions ahead of the Washington meeting. Diplomats say the call will focus on both military realities on the ground and potential frameworks for a political settlement.
The flurry of diplomacy comes just days after a failed summit in Anchorage, Alaska, where Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met but failed to clinch an agreement. While Trump described the encounter as “progress,” Putin publicly stressed that it was “still too early” for a breakthrough.
Trump has made clear he is not interested in a temporary ceasefire, which he argues could collapse like previous efforts. Instead, he says the goal must be a permanent peace agreement that ends hostilities once and for all.
For Zelensky, the White House gathering represents an opportunity to shore up Western unity and ensure Ukraine’s voice is not drowned out in direct US-Russia negotiations. For Europe, it is a chance to demonstrate both solidarity with Kyiv and influence over the trajectory of the talks.
With expectations carefully managed after Alaska, Monday’s meeting in Washington may not deliver an immediate breakthrough. But it is likely to set the tone for what could be the most decisive phase yet in the search for an end to Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
