European Leaders to join Zelensky at White House in a discussion with Donald Trump.

In an order to vouch security guarantees to Ukraine, several European leaders have consented to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the most important meeting with the United States President Donald Trump. In the past few hours, a host of names have been confirmed –

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: Merz’s office said he will discuss the status of the peace efforts in Ukraine with the other attendees, and highlight Germany’s interest in a rapid peace agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron: The Elysee Palace said Macron will “continue the work of coordination between Europeans and the United States with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace that preserves Ukraine’s vital interests and the security of Europe.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: Meloni will also be travelling to Washington with her European counterparts for the talks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: Von der Leyen confirmed in a post on X that she will attend the talks at the request of Zelensky.

Finland President Alexander Stubb: Stubb’s office said he will “participate in a meeting on peace in Ukraine,” also in a post on X.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: The NATO chief will join Zelensky and European leaders for the talks with Trump.

The European impetus to garner the US President Donald Trump’s favourable decision, persuading Russia to immediately initiate a cease fire, in Washington on Monday. It was prudent on the part of the European leaders to gauge Trump’s unceremoniously dumped principles agreed less than a week ago: the main one being that a ceasefire in Ukraine must precede negotiations on a settlement. The Europeans thought better of contradicting him in public and tried to accentuate the positive, that Trump had agreed that the US would participate in security guarantees for Ukraine once a deal was done.

But Trump is in a hurry to organise a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, as much as Putin is in no hurry to end the violence as Russian forces edge forward in eastern Ukraine. Putin wants all of the Donbas region, which includes what Kyiv calls its fortress belt of cities that protect the vast open lands of central Ukraine. Surrender that, and the country is very vulnerable to the next Russian offensive.

What is noteworthy is the fact that the Russian President Vladimir Putin did not cede an inch in Alaska, and Trump didn’t push him, having said that there would be severe consequences for the Kremlin should it not agree to end the violence. Trump deferred any prospect of further sanctions against buyers of Russian oil. No wonder Moscow is elated by the outcome of the Alaska summit.

“The objectives of the ‘special military operation’ will be achieved either by military or diplomatic means”, Russian senator Andrey Klishas said. “The agenda is a new architecture of European and international security — and everyone has to accept it”, he wrote on Telegram.

This left the Europeans to repeat their mantra Sunday. The “Baltic Eight” of Nordic governments stressed — again: “Achieving a just and lasting peace requires a ceasefire. And credible security guarantees for Ukraine”.

Whoever accompanies Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Oval Office on Monday will have the unenviable task of trying to persuade Trump of Europe’s principles, the ones he agreed with last week.

Team Maverick