Washington — European leaders will accompany Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on Monday, in a rare display of collective diplomacy meant to prevent him from being cornered during his meeting with US president Donald Trump.
The initiative, led by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, reflects growing anxiety across Europe that Trump’s abrupt policy reversals could leave Ukraine dangerously exposed. Only days ago, Trump dropped his previous insistence on a ceasefire before negotiations, instead urging direct talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin, a shift that many in Europe fear tilts the balance toward Moscow.
Von der Leyen announced her participation on social media, declaring that Europe would stand “side by side” with Ukraine. She will be joined by other senior European figures, a move designed to show unity while sending a message to Washington that Ukraine cannot be treated as a bargaining chip between Trump and the Kremlin.
The White House encounter comes against the backdrop of tense exchanges between Trump and Zelenskyy in Alaska, where the US president pressed the Ukrainian leader to consider territorial concessions. Zelenskyy, already under immense pressure from the devastating Russian military operation in Ukraine, has repeatedly rejected ceding any part of the Donbas region, calling it a betrayal of national sovereignty.
European capitals have signaled that they will not allow the fragile negotiations to be dictated solely by Washington’s erratic posture. Leaders from Paris, Berlin, and Brussels have been particularly vocal, warning that any settlement must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law, principles that Putin has openly dismissed.
At the same time, the European bloc has begun preparing for a multinational peacekeeping mission, known tentatively as “Multinational Force Ukraine.” Though Washington has balked at committing troops, Trump has offered conditional support in the form of US military backing. European officials argue this would be critical in securing Ukraine’s borders if a ceasefire is eventually reached.
The planned White House meeting is viewed in Brussels as an attempt to check Trump’s increasingly transactional approach to the Ukraine conflict, which critics describe as appeasement toward Russia. For Europe, attending in force is both a symbolic and strategic maneuver—underscoring that Zelenskyy is not alone, and that Europe intends to remain at the center of any negotiations, even as Washington redefines its role.
According to the Associated Press, von der Leyen’s announcement of the joint visit followed concerns that Zelenskyy could be isolated in the face of Trump’s shifting strategy. The report noted that the White House meeting will be closely watched as a test of Western unity and as a barometer of how far Trump is prepared to bend toward Moscow in pursuit of what he calls a “grand peace deal.”
