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.
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The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
Türkiye and Iran have suspended day-trip passenger crossings at their shared border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday, as a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its third day.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
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