Ukraine’s KYIV NATO and European leaders said Sunday they will travel to Washington to join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in presenting a unified front in negotiations with President Donald Trump on reaffirming U.S. security guarantees that are now being discussed and ending Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Following his rejection from Trump’s Friday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders from Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain are supporting the Ukrainian president. In an apparent attempt to make the meeting better than the last one in February, when Trump chastised Zelenskyy in a furious Oval Office confrontation, they promised to be by Zelenskyy’s side at the White House on Monday.
According to retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France’s military mission at the UN, the Europeans want to assist Mr. Zelenskyy to the hilt because they are terrified that the Oval Office event will be repeated.
According to him, it’s a struggle for dominance and a position of strength that may work with Trump.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the European delegation would request Trump’s support for proposals they devised to strengthen Ukraine’s military, which is already the biggest in Europe outside of Russia, with additional equipment and training in order to ensure any peace.
The French leader stated that the first thing we need is a legitimate framework for the Ukrainian army. He also mentioned how we Europeans and Americans plan to train, equip, and fund this endeavor in the long run.
In order to ensure Kyiv that peace will prevail and to deter another Russian invasion, Macron said the European-drafted plans also call for an alliance force in Ukraine away from the battle lines. Following a nearly two-hour video conference on Sunday with countries in Europe and beyond, such as Canada, Australia, and Japan, who are part of the so-called coalition of the willing, he spoke.
According to Macron, the thousands of men in the ceasefire zone in Ukraine would serve as a reminder that our fates are intertwined.
We need to talk to the Americans about this: Who is prepared to do what? Macron stated.
Otherwise, I believe such theoretical promises are just not acceptable to Ukrainians.
Earlier, during a press conference with Zelenskyy in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that we applaud President Trump’s readiness to help provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to those found in Article 5. And the willing alliance, which includes the European Union, is prepared to contribute.
According to Macron, the content of security guarantees will matter more than whether they are classified as Article 5-type.
He stated that the question is one of substance and that a theoretical piece is insufficient. We must begin by stating that a robust Ukrainian army is the foremost security guarantee for Ukraine.
Along with Von der Leyen and Macron, other participants in Monday’s meetings include Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO military alliance secretary-general Mark Rutte.
