Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington, DC, and will probably be joined by European leaders when he meets Donald Trump in about 12 hours.
Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Ukraine to agree to phrases to finish the battle with Russia, seemingly echoing a few of Moscow’s speaking factors two days after assembly President Vladimir Putin.
Late on Sunday, Trump previewed the message he’ll ship to his White House guests: Zelensky should agree to a few of Russia’s circumstances for the battle in Ukraine to finish. The circumstances he referred to — that Ukraine cede Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and that it agree never to join NATO — are amongst these Putin has set for ending the battle.
The White House has signaled momentum towards a possible peace deal to finish Russia’s battle, with US envoy Steve Witkoff telling NCS that Putin has agreed to allow US security guarantees for Ukraine and made concessions on “land swaps”.
But many sticking factors and questions stay.
Here’s what we all know:
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“Peace must be lasting”: After touchdown in Washington DC, Zelensky stated he’s confident that he can obtain security guarantees for Ukraine. He steered new safety ensures would wish to be stronger than people who “didn’t work” up to now, citing the lack of Crimea to Russia in 2014. Zelensky is scheduled to meet Trump for bilateral talks within the Oval Office earlier than becoming a member of European leaders for broader discussions.
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Largest delegation: Ahead of the talks, Trump stated the White House had “Never had so many European Leaders at one time,” in a post on Truth Social Sunday, including that it will be a “Big day” and that it was his “great honor to host them!!!”
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Security ensures: Putin has agreed to let Ukraine’s allies provide it NATO-style security guarantees as a part of a doable peace deal, in accordance to US envoy Steve Witkoff. A White House session will concentrate on making a plan to defend Ukraine from future assaults, modelled on NATO’s Article 5, which treats an assault on one nation as an assault on all. Witkoff — certainly one of three American contributors in Friday’s summit with Putin in Alaska — stated it is a workaround to Russia’s demand that Ukraine never join NATO.
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Europe “reassurance force”: Kyiv’s allies are prepared to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine as soon as combating stops, the British and French leaders stated in a joint assertion after co-chairing a virtual meeting Sunday with President Volodymyr Zelensky and different allies. Leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing” recommended US President Donald Trump’s dedication to offering security guarantees to Ukraine, by which they pledged to play a “vital” function.