Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may not be alone when he reaches Washington on Monday for his meeting with US President Donald Trump, amid global efforts towards bringing an end to the three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
The Zelensky-Trump meeting follows the US President’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was billed as historic by both leaders but failed to come up with any immediate solution to the war. In contrast, this would be Zelensky’s first visit to the US since February, when the two leaders had an ugly showdown, with Trump accusing him of being “disrespectful”.
To save Zelensky from being ambushed by Trump like last time, European leaders are reportedly planning to send a representative to accompany the Ukrainian leader. Finnish President Alexander Stubb or NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte could accompany him, reported Politico.
Both Stubb and Rutte maintain a rapport with Trump and act as diplomatic buffers. The idea behind sending one of them, the report said, is to prevent any showdown between Trump and Zelensky and ensure Europe is not left out in their further discussions on Ukraine.
European leaders are on edge after Trump’s warm reception for Putin in Alaska and are now worried that Zelensky might face a tougher, colder welcome at the White House. Besides, memories of their tense March encounter still linger, and European leaders fear Trump may once again ambush Zelensky with demands for territorial concessions.
In Monday’s meeting, both Europe and Ukraine would try to ensure that Trump does not agree to Putin’s demands, including the accession of any Ukrainian territory.
According to a source who spoke to AFP, Trump already backs a Russian proposal for Moscow to seize control of two Ukrainian regions, besides freezing the front line in two other places where Moscow holds only partial control. Reports suggest Trump has informed Zelensky of Russia’s proposal to freeze most of the frontlines if he ceded all of Donetsk, but the Ukrainian leader rejected the demand.
Following his “very productive” meeting with Putin last Friday, Trump has said that the onus now lies on Zelensky to secure a peace deal. Trump has also reportedly sought a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky, but Moscow hasn’t publicly committed to any such summit yet.