Zelenskiy, flanked by Europe, heads to Washington as Trump presses for Russia deal
By Max Hunder
KYIV (Reuters) -Kraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to make a peace agreement between the US President’s fears that Kiev could try to accept a suitable settlement for Moscow.
The European leaders of British, Germany, France, Italy, Finland and NATO hopes to support Zelenskiy at a significant diplomatic moment in the war, and to prevent the repetition of the malignant oval office encounter between the leader of Trump and Ukraine in February.
Trump said that he would first meet with Zelenskiy at the Eastern Day Light time in Oval Office at 13:15 (1715 GMT) and then the White House will meet with all European leaders together at 15:00 (1900 GMT).
After releasing the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump said that an agreement should be made to end the 42 -month war that killed tens of thousands of and displaced millions.
“Russia is a huge power and not, Tr Trump said later Ukraine.
However, Zelenskiy rejected the draft of Putin’s proposals in this meeting, including the abandonment of the rest of the Eastern Donetsk region, which Ukraine is currently controlled.
Uz We need real negotiations, that is, we can start where the front line is now, Uk Ukrainian leader said on Sunday that the constitution of his country in Brussels is impossible to give the region.
Regarding him, Trump, who previously preferred Kyiv’s cease -fire offer to make deeper peace negotiations, reversed the course after the summit and said that Russia supports the approach of negotiating a comprehensive agreement while struggling with Rumbles.
Zelenskiy, after coming to Washington late on Sunday in the Telegram messaging application, “I am grateful to the US President for the invitation. We all want to finish this war quickly and reliably.” He said. “Russia should end this war – and I hope our common power with our American and European friends will force Russia to real peace.”
The draft of Putin’s suggestions previously reported by Reuters seems impossible for Zelenskiy to accept. The Ukrainian forces, towns and hills were deeply dug in the Donetsk region, which serves as an important defense zone to eliminate Russian attacks.
As part of any peace agreement, Kiev wants sufficient security guarantees to deter him in 2014, which took Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and started a complete invasion that was attacked in 2022 in 2022.
Fearing that they would be closed without speech after a summit they were not invited, European leaders organized a call with Zelenskiy on Sunday to comply with a common strategy for the meeting with Trump on Monday.
The presence of six ally to support Zelenskiy can alleviate the painful memories of Zelenskiy’s last oval office visit.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian deputy from Zelenskiy’s ruling party, said, “It is important that Europeans are there: (Trump) Respect them and behave differently in their presence.” He said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the idea that European leaders came to Washington to protect Zelenskiy, talking to CBS.
“They do not come here tomorrow to prevent Zelenskiy from being exposed to bullying. They come here tomorrow because we are working with Europeans,” he said. “We invited them to come.”
The relations between Kyiv and Washington were once very close to, Trump took office in January.
However, some of Ukraine forced Trump to calm Trump, even if his statements, if his statements seem to be contrary to his goals.
Russia is slowly progressing on the battlefield, pressing the advantages of men and firepower. Putin said he was ready to continue to fight until his military goals were achieved.
Ukraine hopes that the changing technological nature of the war and its ability to cause great losses to Moscow will allow the support of European finance and military aid even if relations with Washington collapses.
(Reporting by Max Hunder; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing Diane Craft and Lincoln Feast)
