Global attention is fixed on Washington today, where U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and several European leaders at the White House for high-stakes talks on the war in Ukraine.

Ahead of the gathering, European leaders held a video call to align their positions. The group — including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb — will join a wider session later in the day.

According to U.S. officials, Trump will first hold a bilateral meeting with Zelensky, followed by an expanded discussion and working dinner with the European delegation and NATO. If progress is made, Trump is expected to call a trilateral summit with Russia later this week.

Conflicting positions on Crimea and NATO

On the eve of the talks, Trump insisted that Crimea — annexed by Russia in 2014 — will not return to Ukraine and ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv. Writing on his Truth Social platform, he declared: “… Some things never change.”

Zelensky, arriving in Washington, struck a different tone. “We all want this war to end quickly and in a reliable way, with peace that will last,” he said, while stressing that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits ceding territory.

The issue of territorial concessions is expected to dominate the agenda. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, told CNN that Moscow had hinted at “certain concessions” involving five contested regions: Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. These areas have been at the center of the conflict since 2014, with four of them annexed by Russia in 2022 after internationally rejected referendums.

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European priorities

European leaders are expected to emphasize three red lines: binding security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe, rejection of unilateral territorial concessions, and continued military and financial support for Kyiv. They have welcomed Trump’s stated willingness to contribute to NATO-style security guarantees but remain skeptical of his push for a rapid peace process.

EU Council President António Costa warned after Sunday’s call that if no ceasefire is reached, both Washington and Brussels must increase pressure on Moscow.

Ongoing violence in Ukraine

Even as leaders prepared for the White House meetings, Russia launched fresh strikes on Ukraine. Local authorities reported 13 people wounded in attacks on Kharkiv and the Sumy region, including a 57-year-old woman and a 43-year-old driver.