Top European leaders will travel to Washington on Monday to join U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in critical talks aimed at ending the war with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the White House meeting, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The talks follow Trump’s closed-door summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which the former U.S. leader described as a step towards a possible deal.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” Trump told Fox News. “And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskyy.”
Putin said after the three-hour meeting that he and Trump had reached an “understanding,” though details remain undisclosed.
Germany described the Washington talks as an “information exchange,” with Chancellor Merz expected to focus on peace terms, territorial issues, and maintaining pressure on Moscow.
“Chancellor Merz will discuss the current peace efforts with the heads of state and government and underscore Germany's interest in a swift peace agreement,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Von der Leyen said she would travel to the U.S. at Zelenskyy’s request, after hosting the Ukrainian leader in Brussels on Sunday and attending a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” – a group of countries backing Ukraine’s defence.
In Helsinki, the Finnish presidency confirmed that Stubb would attend the meeting “on peace in Ukraine.” The Elysee Palace and Italian news agency ANSA also confirmed the participation of Macron and Meloni respectively.
The expanded diplomatic effort underscores growing pressure on Kyiv to consider a negotiated settlement with Moscow. However, key sticking points remain, including Russia’s territorial demands and the absence of a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s reported proposal to freeze current front lines in exchange for Ukraine ceding all of Donetsk province, which Russia partially occupied in 2014 and now claims almost entirely.
Russia has violated an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelen...
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Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
Russia has violated an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, urging Washington to step in to ensure that Moscow abided by the terms of the putative agreement.
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The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine is ready to respect the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, but only if Russia does the same, saying Moscow has already violated the agreement.
China has announced sanctions against Belize’s foreign minister and Paraguay’s communications minister over their countries’ diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The move comes as Beijing continues to pressure the few remaining nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei.
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