Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is travelling to Washington on Monday, accompanied by an unprecedented group of European leaders, to meet Donald Trump.
Leaders from France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Finland, along with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, will come with the intention of showing support for the Ukrainian president in the face of the demands that Moscow placed on the table in Alaska last week. The only one arriving with a distinct profile is Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who in recent days has positioned herself as a bridge between Brussels and the White House, rather than a mere extra in a process in which Europe does not set the pace.
The trip leaves a bitter taste. Many of the leaders presenting themselves today in Washington are the same ones who for three years insisted on prolonging the war machine without measuring its human or financial cost. Now, upon landing in the United States, they only have two options, both unfavorable for their image. If they join a path towards peace, they will do so belatedly and in evident contradiction with their previous speeches. If they instead press Trump to keep military funding, it will show only stubbornness and a delusional refusal to face the fact that this strategy has already failed.
An outline of a new security package for Ukraine is expected at the meeting. Drafts already mention NATO-style guarantees, outside the Alliance, that would bind several countries to respond in the event of another Russian attack.
Talks may also cover a ceasefire along current front lines, an international monitoring force, and an economic plan tied to Ukraine’s reconstruction and frozen Russian assets. The status of Crimea and Donbas remains unresolved, with Kyiv refusing to concede territory still under Russian control.
In the hours before the meeting, Trump asked Zelensky to attend “wearing a suit,” a signal that the focus should now shift from the battlefield to formal negotiations. The message was clear: the time for war imagery is over, and the time for political agreements has arrived.
The day’s agenda foresees a bilateral meeting between Trump and Zelensky, followed by a ‘family photo’ and a meeting with the European delegation. It is unclear if the Europeans will play an effective role or remain symbolic.
Today, the issue is whether Europe manages to influence the design of security guarantees or simply limits itself to endorsing a process decided by others. For now, Trump sets the pace, and he demands a suit.
