Ukraine’s future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings an extraordinary cadre of European leaders with him to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia.
The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Alaska, and they're looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow.
Monday’s showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Friday summit, as many of Europe’s leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine’s interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force.
Here's the latest:
Trump’s schedule, according to the White House
— 12 p.m. ET: European leaders will arrive at the White House
— 1 p.m.: Trump will greet and meet with Zelenskyy
— 2:15 p.m.: Trump will greet European leaders
— 3 p.m.: Trump will meet with European leaders
Putin wants the Donbas
As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely.
In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.
As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense pledge, according to a senior U.S. official.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a “game-changing” step though he offered few details on how it would work.
Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again.
Trump previews executive order on voting
Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind.
He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”
When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said.
“He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.
Russia continued to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed six civilians late Sunday. Among the victims was a toddler and a 16-year-old, according to local officials. The strike also injured 20 people, including six children, authorities said.
Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region.
In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a total of four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed.
Trump’s pre-meeting warning to Zelenskyy
Ahead of Monday’s critical meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, Trump seemed to pressure the Ukrainian president to agree to concessions and suggested Ukraine could not regain Crimea.
Crimea was a part of Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote Sunday night on social media. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
Attendance list for Zelenskyy’s White House meeting includes major European leaders
Key European leaders are gathering at the White House for President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
They include:
-- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
-- French President Emmanuel Macron
-- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
-- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
-- Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni
-- Finnish President Alexander Stubb
-- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump’s team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack.
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