Top European leaders will throw their weight behind Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of his meeting with US president Donald Trump at the White House today.
Trump will meet Zelensky at 1.15pm (5.15pm GMT) and hold a multilateral meeting with European leaders visiting Washington at 3pm.
After meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump is pushing Zelensky to strike a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire deal without Crimea and Nato membership – reiterating Moscow’s position.
"President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. "No getting back Obama given Crimea...and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!"
Putin agreed during his meeting with Trump to let the US and its European allies offer Ukraine security guarantees, US envoy Steve Witkoff said.
“We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato," Mr Witkoff told CNN.
Europeans to back Zelensky in Washington today ahead of Trump meet
04:38
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Arpan Rai
European leaders will join Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Donald Trump in Washington, seeking to shore up Zelensky's position as the US president presses Ukraine to accept a quick peace deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland are rallying around the Ukrainian president after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Keir Starmer, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni and Finnish president Alexander Stubb also said they'll will take part in Monday's talks, as will secretary-general of the Nato military alliance, Mark Rutte.
Their pledge to be at Zelensky's side at the White House today is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelensky in a heated Oval Office encounter.
Trump is leaning on Zelensky to strike an agreement after he met Russian leader Putin in Alaska and emerged more aligned with Moscow on seeking a peace deal instead of a ceasefire first.