At the White House: Can Trump and Zelenskyy find common ground?

The White House hosted a critical meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined by key European leaders in a united front.

The talks come just days after Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a peace deal but raised the possibility of Ukraine ceding its eastern Donbas region in exchange for an end to the war. Zelenskyy has firmly rejected the idea, citing Crimea’s annexation in 2014 as proof that territorial concessions only embolden Moscow.

European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, the UK’s Keir Starmer, and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, are expected to press for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and back security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5 defense clause.

Trump has hinted that U.S. guarantees could substitute for NATO membership, while also making clear that Crimea’s return is off the table.

At stake is not only the shape of a potential peace deal but also Europe’s security landscape. The outcome could define whether the West holds firm against Russian expansion, or accepts a new political map of Eastern Europe.