LONDON — Ukraine and its European partners moved quickly on Sunday to answer what looked like a sharp turn by President Donald Trump toward Vladimir Putin’s hard-line terms after their meeting in Alaska.
European leaders said they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday to deal with America’s new approach to ending the war. Trump has signaled he is stepping back from a cease-fire-first stance and is instead chasing a permanent peace deal — a move that appears to pull the United States closer to the Kremlin’s position.
Trump also seemed to address concern that he might back demands for Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region. “If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal,” he wrote on Truth Social.
A slate of leaders said they will stand with Zelenskyy in Washington to avoid a repeat of his last one-on-one Oval Office visit and to ensure he does not face pressure alone to accept terms set by Moscow. Those heading to the U.S. include NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Merz’s office described the trip as an “exchange of information,” with talks expected to cover security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine’s defense.
In Brussels, Zelenskyy thanked the European Union for its backing and said he would join a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of more than 30 nations coordinating aid for Kyiv. He said Washington remains supportive and repeated that a cease-fire is needed as a bridge to any final deal.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a temporary cease-fire is “not off the table,” and added that any agreement would have to include security guarantees for Ukraine.
Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia had agreed in Alaska that the United States and European allies could extend security guarantees modeled on NATO’s collective defense as part of a future peace framework. He also suggested Moscow was prepared to accept a legally binding pledge not to pursue further territory once a deal is in place.
In recent days, Trump appeared to inch toward what Kyiv and Europe have sought on that point. People familiar with early-Saturday calls said Trump spoke with Zelenskyy and several European leaders about a possible NATO-style guarantee for Ukraine as part of a broader arrangement with Russia. U.S. troops on the ground were not discussed. The idea, as described by those briefed, would be triggered if Russia attacked again after a peace deal. It would not amount to NATO membership, even as European leaders maintain that Ukraine should keep the right to seek entry.
Still, the Alaska summit left many Ukrainians uneasy. Civilians remain under Russian fire, and the optics of a warm welcome for Putin stirred anger. One Kyiv resident said she had hoped the United States “wouldn’t roll out the red carpet to the enemy,” asking how a tyrant could be received that way.
Editorial view: The meetings in Washington now carry heavy weight. If security guarantees are to mean anything, they must be credible, coordinated, and backed by long-term economic and military support. Europe’s presence alongside Zelenskyy is welcome, but unity will matter more than symbolism. Ukraine cannot be boxed into concessions it cannot live with — and any deal that rewards aggression will only invite more of it.
Reporting: The Balkan Journal.
