In a powerful display of unity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today was joined by a formidable delegation of European leaders at the White House for crucial talks with President Donald Trump on the future of the war. The meeting, which follows the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, centered on a groundbreaking proposal for security guarantees for Ukraine, a move the administration says could be a “game-changer” in the search for peace.
The gathering, which included British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, was a clear signal to both Washington and Moscow that Europe is determined to have a central role in shaping any peace deal. The presence of these leaders was seen as an effort to shore up Zelensky, whose previous encounter with Trump had been described as tense and unproductive.
The core of the discussions focused on a proposal floated by the Trump administration: that the U.S. and its European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee “resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate,” a promise of support akin to Article 5, but without formal membership in the alliance. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Russia had agreed in principle to this idea at the Alaska summit, a development he called a “huge concession” and a significant shift from Moscow’s long-held position.
For his part, President Trump has said he will back the European-led effort, telling reporters he would “help them out” and that the U.S. would assist in providing “very good protection.” However, he stopped short of committing U.S. troops, emphasizing that the European nations would take on “a lot of the burden.”
The talks come at a pivotal moment. President Trump has recently shifted his public stance away from a ceasefire and towards a full-fledged “peace agreement,” a position that aligns with what Putin has been demanding for months. The change has fueled concern in Kyiv, where officials fear that a peace deal could force them to cede territory to Russia. In a post on X, Zelensky reaffirmed his position that any peace deal must be negotiated with Ukraine’s participation and stressed the need for a “real peace” that would secure Ukraine and all of Europe.
While the new diplomatic path offers a glimmer of hope, it is far from a done deal. The details of the proposed security guarantees are still murky, and key issues, such as whether Ukraine will be pressured to give up more of the Donbas region, remain a significant point of contention. The presence of Europe’s top leaders today was a powerful step towards a unified front, but the real work of ending the war is just beginning, with the fate of Ukraine and the broader European security landscape hanging in the balance.