KYIV, Ukraine. European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will stand alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and secure long-term security guarantees.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland confirmed they will attend Monday’s White House meeting, after Zelenskyy was excluded from Trump’s summit last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move is seen as an effort to strengthen Zelenskyy’s position, following a tense Oval Office encounter with Trump in February.
French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations have drafted plans to expand training and equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces and are proposing the deployment of an allied force away from the front lines to deter another Russian offensive. “We need a credible format for the Ukrainian army,” Macron said, stressing that Europe and the U.S. must commit to financing and supplying the effort in the long term.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed Trump’s openness to providing “Article 5-like” security guarantees for Ukraine, though Macron noted that the substance of the guarantees would matter more than labels.
Alongside Zelenskyy, the European delegation will include Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff revealed Sunday that Putin, during his Alaska summit with Trump, had for the first time signaled openness to allowing Ukraine security guarantees resembling NATO’s collective defense clause, calling it “game-changing.”
Analysts, however, warned of risks. Neil Melvin of the Royal United Services Institute said European leaders want to “shape this fast-evolving agenda,” but must avoid appearing to gang up on Trump.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine’s strongest guarantee remains its own army but emphasized that U.S. and European support is critical to sustaining the fight. He also rejected Trump and Putin’s preference for pursuing a full peace agreement before securing a ceasefire, arguing that Putin has no intention of halting attacks without international pressure.
“It’s impossible to negotiate under the pressure of weapons,” Zelenskyy said. “Putin does not want to stop the killing, but he must do it.”
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
