Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Monday expressing confidence that Ukraine would secure US "security guarantees" with European support, ahead of critical talks with US President Donald Trump, who insisted Zelenskyy could "end the war now… if he wants to." "I am grateful to the President of the United States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war quickly and reliably," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram after arriving in Washington. Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet Trump for bilateral talks in the Oval Office before they are joined by European leaders."We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. The peace must be lasting," Zelenskyy added. The US president has already ruled out Ukraine regaining the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. Trump said there was "no going back" on the issue, accusing former US President Barack Obama of having "given it to Russia about 12 years ago without a single shot being fired." Multinational peacekeeping force Ahead of the Washington meeting, a "coalition of the willing" of European leaders said in a statement on Sunday that they would play a role in security guarantees for Kyiv through a "multinational force" as part of efforts to secure a lasting peace deal. The leaders affirmed their continued support for Ukraine and praised Zelenskyy's desire for a just and lasting peace. The statement noted the coalition's readiness to deploy a "peacekeeping force" as soon as fighting stops to help secure Ukraine's airspace and maritime borders. French President Emmanuel Macron said after the meeting that the goal of Monday's talks in Washington was to "show a united front between Ukraine and its European allies." He added: "If we show weakness today in the face of Russia, we are paving the way for future conflicts." According to a report in the Washington Post, European officials want to ensure that "Trump does not lean too far to the Russian side" and "does not try to pressure Zelenskyy into a deal that will ultimately sow the seeds of Ukraine's disintegration." They also seek to prevent the United States from "undermining European security," of which Washington has been the pillar since NATO's founding in 1949. European fears "There is a sense of panic among European allies," a senior European diplomat told the Washington Post, noting he had not seen a meeting come together so quickly since the lead-up to the Iraq war. The primary concern, according to the diplomat, was to avoid a scene similar to one last February when, in front of cameras at the White House, Trump rebuked Zelenskyy, saying: "You don't have the cards" in the war. The US President repeated those sentiments on Friday evening, telling Fox News that Ukraine must recognise Russia is a "much more powerful" country, and that this power means Zelenskyy must make concessions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed on Sunday that the European leaders were coming to Washington at the invitation of the Trump administration. "They are not coming here to stop Zelenskyy from being bullied," he told CBS's "Face The Nation". "They are coming because we have been working with the Europeans." European officials said Trump had given Zelenskyy "the freedom" to bring any guests to the meeting, after which the White House extended invitations to several European leaders. 'Article 5-like' security guarantees In a shift from his previous position that Europe should bear the burden of protecting Ukraine, Trump on Saturday offered support for US security guarantees for the country after the war, though details remain unclear. On Sunday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed on "strong security guarantees" during their summit in Alaska last week. "The United States is prepared in principle to provide Article 5-like security guarantees, but not through NATO, but directly from the United States and other European countries," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News, referencing the collective defence clause of the NATO treaty. Under Article 5, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Ukraine is not a NATO member but has sought allied support since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Witkoff said the security deal would be discussed further between the US, Zelenskyy and European allies during Monday's meeting in Washington. In London on Sunday, after a virtual meeting of the "coalition of the willing," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement praising Trump's commitment to "providing security guarantees for Ukraine." The statement reaffirmed that Britain and other European nations were prepared to "deploy a reassurance force as soon as hostilities cease, and to help secure Ukraine's skies and seas and rebuild its armed forces." Separately, the United States hopes a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy could be held this week, a White House official confirmed to The New York Times, but cautioned that Monday's meeting was not necessarily expected to result in that outcome. Speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Sunday, Zelenskyy said it was impossible to enter negotiations with Moscow "under the barrel of a gun," reiterating that a full ceasefire must be in place before any talks.
