Why Zelensky brought European leaders to Washington ahead of Trump meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House along with European leaders to show solidarity against Russia. Many leaders like the President of the European Commission, French President, British Prime Minister and German Chancellor will attend this meeting. Zelensky said that America should work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe.

The future of Ukraine may depend on the meeting to be held at the White House on Monday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is arriving with an army of European leaders to show solidarity to US President Donald Trump against Russia.

European political giants were not included in Trump's credibility summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday. At the same time, Zelensky is arriving to meet Trump as a group. During the last meeting, there was a fierce altercation between Trump and Zelensky. This time Zelensky does not want to make any such mistake.

Which leaders can come to Washington

Along with Zelensky in the US capital, big leaders like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian PM Georgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte can come.

America will also be tested
This time the meeting will also test the US on how it wants to maintain relations with its closest allies. The European Union and the United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hike in part because they wanted his support on Ukraine.

The meeting on Monday is a sign of both progress and crisis from the Alaska meeting, as many European leaders are arriving in Washington with a clear goal to protect Ukraine's interests.

What did Zelensky say?

Zelensky said on X, "It is important that the US agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine and thus for the whole of Europe." The night before the meeting, Trump has now put the onus on Zelensky to agree on concessions. He suggested that Ukraine can no longer regain Crimea. This part was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Donald Trump wrote on social media on Sunday night, "Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia immediately if he wants or continue this fight. Remember how it started? Obama will not get Crimea back and Ukraine will also join NATO. Some things never change."

Late Sunday night, Zelensky responded through his post, saying, "We all have a strong desire to end this war quickly and strongly." He further said that peace should be permanent, not like the one that was after Russia's occupation of Crimea and a part of Donbass in eastern Ukraine eight years ago and Putin simply used it as a platform for a new attack.