A group of European leaders will travel to Washington on Monday to join talks on Ukraine with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to attend the meeting.
The trip to Washington was confirmed by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The German government said the trip would serve as an “exchange of information” following Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“Chancellor Merz will discuss the current peace efforts with the heads of state and government and emphasize Germany’s interest in a swift peace agreement,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.
He added that the talks would focus on security guarantees, territorial issues, support for Ukraine’s defense and maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia.
In Helsinki, the Finnish presidency confirmed Stubb’s participation in what it called a “meeting on peace in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Von der Leyen said on the social platform of the US-based company X that she would travel to Washington at Zelensky’s request to join the talks at the White House.
The Elysee Palace and the Italian news agency ANSA confirmed Macron and Meloni’s presence.
On Friday, Trump and Putin held a three-hour meeting behind closed doors, with the Russian leader saying they had come to reach an “understanding.”
After the meeting, Trump said it was now up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders “to get it done.”
“A lot of points have been agreed upon, not that many, you know, one or two pretty significant points, but I think they can be done,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News after his historic meeting with Putin in Alaska.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to do it. And I would say the European nations have to get involved a little bit, but that’s up to President Zelensky,” the US president added.
