The ball is very much back in Europe’s court as it scrambles to come up with a unified approach to put to US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.

Safe to say the Europeans were alarmed yesterday when Trump unceremoniously dumped principles agreed less than a week ago: the main one being that a ceasefire in Ukraine must precede negotiations on a settlement.

The Europeans thought better of contradicting him in public and tried to accentuate the positive, that Trump had agreed that the US would participate in security guarantees for Ukraine once a deal was done.

But Trump is in a hurry to organize a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, as much as Putin is in no hurry to end the violence as Russian forces edge forward in eastern Ukraine.

Putin wants all of the Donbas region, which includes what Kyiv calls its fortress belt of cities that protect the vast open lands of central Ukraine. Surrender that, and the country is very vulnerable to the next Russian offensive.

Putin did not cede an inch in Alaska — and Trump didn’t push him, having said that there would be severe consequences for the Kremlin should it not agree to end the violence. Trump deferred any prospect of further sanctions against buyers of Russian oil.

No wonder Moscow is elated by the outcome of the Alaska summit.

“The objectives of the ‘special military operation’ will be achieved either by military or diplomatic means,” Russian senator Andrey Klishas said.

“The agenda is a new architecture of European and international security — and everyone has to accept it,” he wrote on Telegram.

This left the Europeans to repeat their mantra Sunday.

The “Baltic Eight” of Nordic governments stressed — again: “Achieving a just and lasting peace requires a ceasefire. And credible security guarantees for Ukraine.”

Whoever accompanies Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to the Oval Office on Monday will have the unenviable task of trying to persuade Trump of Europe’s principles, the ones he agreed with last week.

Trump Putin Alaska Summit Highlights: Donald Trump appeared to have a change of heart following his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday. The US President has deviated sharply from his original calls for an immediate ceasefire — echoing the Kremlin position favouring direct peace negotiations without implementing a ceasefire by Saturday evening. He is now slated to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday for a fresh round of discussions.

Trump spoke to Zelensky as well as European leaders after the Summit — claiming that “it was determined by all” that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement. He explained via Truth Social that this would end the war rather than a ceasefire agreement that often did not hold up.

According to later reports, European leaders have now made it clear (publicly and privately) that they are not in agreement with Trump. A statement issued later on Saturday did not echo his support for a direct peace agreement. Britain, France, Germany and others also threatened to increase economic penalties against Russia on Saturday — “as long as the killing in Ukraine continues.”

What was discussed at the Trump-Putin Meeting?

The nearly three-hour-long meeting between the two heads ended without any major agreement. At the press conference after the summit Trump offered a vague assessment, saying “many points were agreed to” while refusing to specify if Ukraine was among them.

“So there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he told reporters.

Putin, meanwhile, repeated his hard-line demands: Ukraine must cede territory, disarm, stay out of NATO, and even change its government — conditions Kyiv and the West have long dismissed.

Putin publicly endorsed Trump’s claim that the 2022 invasion wouldn’t have happened if he’d been president.

Trump said he would call NATO leaders and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to brief them, and hinted at “probably” meeting Putin again soon. When Putin teased “next time in Moscow,”

Why was this meeting important? The meeting was significant as this was one of the biggest step by Donald Trump to convince Putin to cease the war he had unleashed against Ukarine. After previously claiming during Ukraine “in 24 hours,” Trump’s approach has evolved into a more cautious, diplomatic play. He has made several overtures to Putin to end the war, but has been left red-faced. The last time a sitting president met Putin was in 2021, when Biden flew to Geneva for his only face-to-face meeting with Putin.

What Trump has proposed?

Ahead of the summit, Trump had floated a “land-swapping” proposal. This is a potential exchange of occupied Ukrainian territories to bring the war to an end. He insisted any territorial deal must involve Ukraine.

During a preparatory video call with European leaders, French President Macron confirmed that Trump had emphasized Ukraine’s involvement and rejected negotiating territory without Kyiv and guaranteed post-war security—though “not involving NATO.” Zelenskyy has said that Russia should face new sanctions if it does not agree to an “immediate ceasefire”.

What’s in it for India?

U.S. authorities, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have warned more secondary tariffs could hit India if Trump’s peace talks with Putin fail to produce results. This puts export-reliant sectors—like textiles, jewelry, machinery, and pharma—under direct threat. India is already faces a 50% U.S. tariff on exports, a combination of a 25% base tariff plus a penalty tied to its purchases of Russian oil and weapons

Live Updates

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will join Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders at a meeting in the White House on Monday

Sir Keir Starmer will join Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister and a host of European leaders will travel to Washington DC in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian leader, whose last visit to the Oval Office ended in a tumultuous spat with Mr Trump.

The US president is said to be mulling over Russia’s demands to bring an end to the war, which include a land grab of two occupied Ukrainian regions: Donetsk and Luhansk.

Several media outlets have reported Mr Trump is planning to urge his Ukrainian counterpart to agree to the conditions as part of a peace deal to end the war.

The meeting follows the US president’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, where little in the way of progress appeared to be made.

President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

However in the summit’s aftermath, Mr Trump appeared to adopt a change of tone in his language about brokering a peace deal, moving away from insisting that a ceasefire is needed before a long-term agreement to end the war is made.

This appeared to echo Mr Putin’s refusal to lay down arms ahead of a sustained peace.

Other leaders making the journey to Washington with Sir Keir include France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte.

The leaders are likely travelling to the White House with the aim of avoiding a repeat performance of February’s public bust-up between Mr Zelensky and the American president, after which Mr Trump temporarily suspended aid to Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels (AP) (AP)

Downing Street insisted Sir Keir and other allies stand ready to support the next phase of talks to end the war.

“At the meeting that will take place at the White House tomorrow, the Prime Minister, with other European partners, stands ready to support this next phase of further talks and will reaffirm that his backing for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes,” a statement from No 10 said.

Speaking in Brussels, Ms von der Leyen said Ukraine cannot be carved up without it having a seat at the table in negotiations.

Standing alongside Mr Zelensky at a press conference ahead of the so-called coalition of the willing meeting, the EU chief said: “With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force.

“These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.”

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference with Ms von der Leyen and Mr Zelensky (Philippe Magoni, Pool/AP) (Philippe Magoni/AP)

On Saturday Sir Keir commended Mr Trump for bringing the conflict “closer than ever” to an end.

The Prime Minister, along with France and Germany’s leaders, will host a call of the coalition of the willing on Sunday afternoon.

The coalition force aims to police a future peace deal by putting troops on the ground in Ukraine to deter Russian aggression.

European leaders on Saturday suggested Mr Trump had indicated he is now willing to provide American air support for the alliance, a “security guarantee” said to be vital to its operation.

Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s special envoy, said Mr Putin had agreed to Nato-like protection for Ukraine for the first time at the Alaska summit.

“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,” he told CNN.

A firefighter puts out a blaze after a Russian drone hit a market in the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP) (Oleg Petrasiuk/AP)

Writing on social media on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian leader railed against Russia’s refusal to lay down arms temporarily before agreeing to end the war.

Mr Zelensky said: “We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing.

“This complicates the situation.”

He added: “If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades.

“But together we are working for peace and security. Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war.”

Mr Zelensky was expected to attend Sunday afternoon’s video call with leaders from the coalition of the willing, which was scheduled to begin at 2pm UK time.

The president’s spokesman, Serhiy Nikiforov, shared the information with the media.

Zelenskyy has a bilateral meeting scheduled with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He will also take part in an online meeting of the leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing.”

Read also: Trump may be open to Putin taking Ukraine’s Donbas in exchange for frozen frontlines

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (L), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen address the press during a NATO summit in The Hague on June 24, 2025.

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will host the Ukrainian president in Brussels and travel with him to Washington.

Several European and NATO leaders will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

On Sunday, a number of European heads of state confirmed their participation, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was the first to announce the move, writing on X: “At the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders at the White House tomorrow.”

This afternoon, I will welcome @ZelenskyyUa in Brussels.

Together, we will participate in the Coalition of Willing VTC.

At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow. — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 17, 2025

Von der Leyen also noted that she would host Zelensky in Brussels ahead of the Washington meeting, with other European leaders joining the talks via video link before traveling together to the U.S.

The joint visit appears aimed at avoiding a repeat of the tense Oval Office encounter between Zelensky and Trump in February. The presence of key European leaders is intended to provide diplomatic support and to ensure Zelensky is not left isolated amid fears he could be pressured into accepting a Trump-brokered peace deal with Russia.

Monday’s trip also highlights Europe’s ongoing support for Ukraine, and the determination of EU and NATO leaders to avoid being left out of future negotiations.