Casablanca – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Monday for high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump, joined by a coalition of European leaders determined to preserve trans-Atlantic unity amid intensifying tensions over the war in Ukraine.
On the eve of the meeting, Trump signaled that Ukraine must accept some of Russia’s demands in order to end the conflict, including formally ceding Crimea to Moscow and ruling out NATO membership.
The remarks added to the fueling the concerns in Europe that Washington could be aligning more closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, during one of the meetings, Trump said the United States and its European allies were committed to providing Ukraine with robust protection against Russian aggression.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump told reporters.
Zelensky welcomed the reassurances as “a major step forward,” revealing that Kyiv has offered to purchase some $90 billion worth of American weapons.
Yet, Trump’s statements at the high-profile meeting were still full of mixed messages. When asked whether he would pressure Moscow into halting the fighting, Trump shockingly suggested that negotiations could continue even as battles rage.
“I don’t think you need a ceasefire,” Trump boldly said. “I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically why… one country or the other wouldn’t want it,” the US president said in a vague diplomatic tone referring to Russia’s demands. “You have a ceasefire and they rebuild… and you know, maybe they don’t want that.”
The president added that he would have a phone call with Putin after the meetings in which they “may or may not have a trilat (trilateral agreement). If we don’t have a trilat, the fighting continues.”
Growing sense of panic from European allies
The presence of several European heads of state in Washington further demonstrated the unease across the Atlantic. European officials wanted to ensure that Zelensky would not be pressured into a deal that could permanently weaken Ukraine’s sovereignty and undermine NATO’s credibility.
A senior European diplomat described a sense of panic among European allies after Trump abruptly shifted from demanding a ceasefire before negotiations to pushing for immediate territorial concessions.
Following his bilateral with Zelensky, Trump convened European leaders, including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
Macron called for “boots on the ground” to guarantee security, while Starmer framed the talks as vital to Europe’s own safety.
“With Trump abandoning the ceasefire requirement, but offering no clear deterrents against Russia, we are at a dangerous moment for the alliance,” said retired US Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO supreme commander.
European Council President Antonio Costa announced that EU leaders will hold a video call Tuesday afternoon to review the White House talks. The discussions are expected to shape Europe’s strategy ahead of a possible Putin-Zelensky summit later this year.
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