As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with US President Donald Trump, Western leaders have decided to join Zelenskyy in that meeting. The meeting, scheduled to take place in Washington, USA on August 18, will include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer alongside Zelenskyy. Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also participate in the meeting. As Trump pressures Zelenskyy to establish a quick peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Western leaders are joining Zelenskyy in this meeting to support and encourage him.
One day before meeting Trump, Merz, Macron, and Starmer held a meeting with Ukrainian counterparts to discuss ways to prioritize Ukraine’s interests during the meeting with Trump. In the current state of war, Western leaders hope to make decisions regarding security guarantees for Ukraine from countries including the US during the meeting with Trump. In a statement released by the German government regarding the US trip, it was said that the meeting would discuss providing security guarantees, regional issues, and supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression. They will also talk about maintaining sanctions.
On August 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Trump in Alaska, USA, to discuss ending the war. Both leaders described the meeting as successful. However, no agreement on ending the war was reached. It is understood that Trump hopes to reach an agreement to end the war through Zelenskyy. On the day he met Putin, Trump characterized Ukraine as a weak country compared to Russia, stating that for this reason, Ukraine needs to establish an agreement to end the war. In the talks between the US and Russia, Russia has proposed to give up some small areas of Ukraine it has captured. In return, they have also proposed that Ukraine give up some territories in the east and stop ongoing offensive operations in other areas.
Some of Putin’s conditions for ending the war will be very difficult for Ukraine to accept. As such, negotiations to end the war, which has lasted for more than 3 years, are not expected to be easy. The war between Russia and Ukraine is the bloodiest conflict in Europe in the past 80 years. Trump and Zelenskyy also met in the US this past February. In that meeting, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance exchanged strong verbal attacks with Zelenskyy. They accused Ukraine of being ungrateful to the US and disrespecting the country. Western leaders do not want such a scene to be repeated in the meeting on August 18.
