Berlin/Paris, 17 August 2025 (dpa/MIA) - European leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his key White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also be attending the talks in Washington.

The government in Berlin said that "security guarantees, territorial issues, and the continued support for Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression. This also includes maintaining the pressure of sanctions."

"The trip serves as an exchange of information with US President Donald Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska," it said.

In Paris, the Élysée Palace stated that Macron is going to continue the coordination work between the Europeans and the US with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace. This peace must preserve Europe's security and the existential interests of Ukraine, it said.

Coalition of the Willing call on Sunday

But before the discussions in Washington, Zelensky will be in Brussels on Sunday to participate in a video conference with a broad range of European leaders, von der Leyen said.

Macron, Merz and Starmer are co-chairing the talks of the so-called Coalition of the Willing at 3 pm (1300 GMT).

The coalition is a loose grouping of nations backing Kiev against Russia's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

No breakthrough at Alaska summit

The flurry of activity follows Friday's high-profile summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite Trump's warm welcome for the Kremlin leader, the meeting produced no breakthrough on halting the war.

Trump's position on the conflict has swung sharply, at times faulting Ukraine for the invasion while at other moments threatening Moscow with punitive measures if progress toward a ceasefire stalls. On Saturday, he told Fox News that Ukraine needed to make a deal with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they’re not."

Trump also dropped the demand for an immediate ceasefire after the summit, opting for Putin's preferred option of a full peace deal to end the war.

The view from Europe

European capitals, wary of being sidelined, have been pushing to ensure their views — and Kiev's — are not excluded from the US-Russia dialogue that could shape Europe’s long-term security.

European leaders have urged an immediate ceasefire as a first step toward peace, demanded binding security guarantees for Ukraine, and warned Trump against trusting Putin’s assurances.

Zelensky, who was not invited to the Trump-Putin summit, is scheduled to meet Trump in Washington on Monday. He has insisted Ukraine must be included in all negotiations about its future, especially territorial questions.

The leaders travelling to Washington will no doubt recall Zelensky’s last meeting with Trump at the White House in February, which erupted into a heated shouting match on live television. The confrontation led the US to temporarily suspend its crucial military aid to Ukraine.

Reports that land swap was discussed, push for trilateral meeting

Several media outlets reported after Friday's summit that Putin demanded full control of the occupied eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for a ceasefire.

Trump has often floated the idea of Russia and Ukraine "swapping" territory to end the war. The proposal has alarmed Kiev, which has categorically rejected ceding any of its land to Moscow.

Trump has said he hopes to eventually have a three-way meeting involving Zelensky and Putin.

Starmer posted on X on Saturday: "President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine ... While progress has been made, the next steps must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him."

The view from Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sunday that he spoke to several of his European counterparts over the weekend to coordinate steps ahead of the leaders' video conference.

Sybiha wrote on X that in order to force Russia to end the war, Europe needed to help strengthen the country's defence capabilities and provide a "deterrence package" to prevent future Russian aggression, which would include security guarantees.

Sybiha also stressed the need to increase sanctions pressure, with the European Commission preparing a 19th package of punitive measures.

Photo: EPA archive