Monday's meeting is described as a decisive moment for Ukraine and Europe. It is being held less than three days after Trump's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin and aims to bring an end to the Russian war of aggression.
A number of statements and rumors are circulating. It is said that Ukraine may be pressured to relinquish Crimea and Donbass and that a Ukrainian NATO membership is to be forgotten, according to the media. At the same time, there is talk of security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 in the event of peace. And it is said that the parties should go directly to a peace agreement, without first agreeing on a ceasefire.
If a ceasefire is needed on the way - yes, that is something we have advocated for. But unfortunately, the Russians have not agreed to it at present, notes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for NBC.
Ungrateful?
The meeting is overshadowed by the catastrophic event in the Oval Office at the end of February, when Zelenskyj and Trump got into a heated argument in front of TV cameras.
You are gambling with millions of lives. You are gambling with a third world war and what you are doing is very disrespectful to our country, Trump said then and pointed at Zelenskyj.
Both he and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian of not being grateful enough - and for not wearing a suit.
After the meeting, European leaders rallied around Zelenskyj to an even greater extent. And when it became clear over the weekend that he would be going to the White House, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and a number of heads of state announced that they would follow.
Zelenskyj has been careful to express his gratitude on X over the past day, both to Trump and the Europeans.
A "big day"
The question is, however, what influence the Europeans can have on the talks.
According to the White House schedule, Trump will hold his own bilateral meeting with Zelenskyj - before meeting the European leaders. The summit, with all the leaders, will take place at 3 pm local time, three hours after the group arrives at the White House's south entrance. The agenda does not provide any clues about what heads of state and government, such as Britain's Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, and Finland's Alexander Stubb, will do during Zelenskyj's hour in the Oval Office.
On social media, Trump suggests that it is up to Zelenskyj to bring an end to the war. He also writes that Monday is a big day, that it is an honor to receive so many European leaders at the same time.
