In Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron will conduct the very important discussions with the US President Donald Trump along with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. This meeting comes less than a week after the Trump-Putin talks in Alaska a highly charged affair that ended without a ceasefire but one that revived a momentum for talks on the still raging war between Russia and Ukraine.
European Leaders Rally Behind Ukraine
Just before this trip to Washington, Macron, along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had hosted a virtual meeting of the France-led “Coalition of the Willing.” European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reiterated their support for Kyiv while reviewing the Trump-Putin discussions. Starmer commended Trump for narrowing the distance toward ending Russia’s “illegal war” yet stressed that Ukraine’s president has to be directly brought into the next round of talks.
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Starmer further stressed that Moscow’s aggression will not be tolerated, and sanctions will continue to tighten on the Russian economy until the aggression halts.
Coalition Statement Reaffirms Red Lines
EU leaders, in a joint declaration, reiterated that Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable. They indicated that they would not bargain about restrictions on Ukraine’s military or partnerships with third states and said that Moscow cannot determine Kyiv’s avenue to the EU or NATO. Also, they added that international borders cannot be changed by force.
The coalition reaffirmed a Trumpian saying that “there’s no deal till there’s a deal,” indicating that real negotiations with Zelensky in attendance are the only way ahead.
Question of the Donbas and Russia’s Demands
Reports have suggested that Putin asked for a “freeze” of the conflict on the condition that Ukraine would withdraw from certain areas of the Donbas.
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However, Zelensky has outright rejected such a condition, stating that Ukraine will never discuss territorial concessions or land swaps.
What Comes Next
If the Washington meeting succeeds, it will truly be one of the historic gatherings. With Trump’s ambition of coming out as a peace broker and coordination among European allies to strengthen their position, the focus will then move on whether Moscow will soften its stances and whether Kyiv will get assurances on continued Western support.
For the moment, a single message from the European capitals is clear: Ukraine’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation, while any peace agreement must guarantee its territorial integrity and self-determination rights.
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