European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Washington on Monday, August 18, seeking an end to Moscow's invasion, after President Donald Trump dropped his push for a ceasefire following his Alaska summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, more than three years after the Kremlin ordered the invasion, had been one of Trump's core demands before the summit, to which Ukraine and its European allies were not invited. But after a meeting that yielded no clear breakthrough, Trump ruled out an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, a move that would appear to favor Putin, who has long argued for negotiations on a final peace deal.
Ukraine and its European allies have criticized it as a way to buy time and press Russia's battlefield advances, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen among the leaders set to try and bend Trump's ear on the matter.
Ahead of the Washington visit on Monday, von der Leyen said on X she would welcome Zelensky for a meeting in Brussels on Sunday, which other European leaders would join by video call, before accompanying the Ukrainian leader on his US trip at his "request" with "other European leaders."
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Washington on Monday, his office said. The talks are to foster coordination between Europe and the US with the aim of "achieving a fair and lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine's vital interests and Europe's security," the French presidency said Sunday.
The German government confirmed Merz would also attend and try to emphasize "interest in a swift peace agreement in Ukraine." Other attendees include Secretary General of the NATO military alliance Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Trump briefed Zelensky and European leaders on his flight back from Alaska to Washington, saying afterward that "it was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement which would end the war."
Ceasefire agreements "often times do not hold up," Trump added on his Truth Social platform. But Zelensky has appeared unconvinced by the change of tack, saying on Saturday that it "complicates the situation."
If Moscow lacks "the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades," he said on social media.