This picture taken at the European leaders' defense summit at Lancaster House in London, Britain, on March 2, 2025 shows France's President Emmanuel Macron (L), Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. (File photo by Reuters)
European leaders have traveled to Washington to discuss a new peace agreement for Ukraine with US President Donald Trump.
On Monday, they will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a White House meeting aimed at securing support for Ukraine after Trump relaxed pressure on Russia, abandoning his push for a ceasefire and sanctions following his summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
On Sunday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that during the summit, Putin agreed to allow the United States and its European allies to provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO’s collective defense framework as part of a potential agreement to end the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
“We secured a significant concession: the US could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the primary reasons Ukraine wants to join NATO,” Witkoff stated on CNN’s "State of the Union."
Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday for talks aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine.
The lengthy meeting reportedly ended with Trump promising Putin that he would persuade European leaders to encourage Kyiv to make territorial concessions to resolve the conflict and prevent further Russian advances into eastern Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy at the White House, alongside key European leaders, to discuss the ceasefire agreement.
Attending the meeting will be French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Meanwhile, Special Envoy Witkoff stated that the White House made critical gains during its summit with Putin.
"We are seeing more accommodation than in the past, certainly more than we witnessed under the last administration," he remarked.
He reiterated that Putin agreed to allow US and European allies to offer NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine.
"We achieved the concession that the United States could provide Article 5-like protection. That’s game-changing," Witkoff noted, adding, "It’s encouraging, and we must build on that."
The high-profile meeting between Western European leaders and Zelenskyy with Trump aims to project a united Western stance on the Ukraine issue and apply pressure on Moscow.
Trump claimed on Saturday in a post on Truth Social that "it was determined by all" that a direct peace agreement would be preferable, though European leaders have expressed differing views on the matter.
Trump’s endorsement of Putin’s demand for territorial concessions starkly contrasts with that of his European allies, particularly Zelenskyy, who has insisted that Kyiv "will not surrender our land to occupiers."
European leaders have responded cautiously, stating they are "ready to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy toward a trilateral summit with European support." However, they emphasized that "it will be up to Ukraine to decide on its territory."
They expressed concern that a direct peace deal with Russia, without a prior ceasefire, could give Moscow an advantage in future negotiations. Trump has indicated he will urge the Ukrainian leader to accept a peace deal with Russia.
Russia claims the Donbas region as its territory, controlling most of the Russian-speaking areas of Luhansk and Donetsk, and it considers Crimea part of the Russian Federation.
