Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, D.C., for an important meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The conference on Monday is meant to help find a way to stop the war with Russia and make peace. Zelenskyy thanked the person who invited him on X (previously Twitter) and said, “We all have a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.”
He also said, though, that any peace must be “lasting” and not repeat the mistakes of the past, when Ukraine “had to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin just used it as a springboard for a new attack.” This statement goes against what Trump said earlier on Truth Social, where he indicated that Ukraine would have to give up its plans to join NATO and accept that it would not get Crimea back in order to make a peace accord.
The summit is going to be a big diplomatic event because important European leaders will be there with Zelenskyy. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, NATO, and the European Commission will all be there to show support for the Ukrainian president and stand together. People think that this show of force is meant to stop a repeat of a contentious meeting in February, when Trump publicly chastised Zelenskyy.
A Change in Strategy and New Ideas
Zelenskyy’s visit comes after Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which did not result in a formal ceasefire. Trump said the meetings were “very productive,” but he also said that “no deal until there’s a deal,” which meant that it was up to Ukraine to strike an agreement.
A European official source said that the Trump administration is now ready to give Ukraine “Article 5-style” security guarantees. This is a big change in U.S. policy. These guarantees would offer help similar to collective defense without the full responsibilities of being a member of NATO. This suggestion seems to be a major part of the talks, as officials from both the U.S. and Europe want to provide Ukraine the guarantees it needs to start meaningful peace talks.
Zelenskyy was sure that the U.S. and its European partners could work together to compel Russia into a “real peace.” He also talked about recent victories for Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk and Sumy areas, saying that “Ukrainians are fighting for their land and their freedom.”