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Trump says Putin and Zelenskyy will meet for talks on ending the war
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Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to the White House on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump.
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Saul Loeb
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AFP via Getty Images
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President Donald Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday — and an unusually long list of European leaders will join them.
Among them: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in what is being seen as a united front to prevent Trump from pressuring Zelenskyy into an unfair agreement to end the war with Russia.
After Zelenskyy was excluded from Trump's summit in Alaska last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, European leaders want to weigh in Trump's suggestions of a "land swap" — something that Zelenskyy has already said he opposes — and security guarantees to prevent Russia from invading again.
Ahead of Monday's meetings, Trump put the onus on Zelenskyy to reach a peace deal with his Russian aggressor — and laid down two conditions.
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"President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump said on social media late Sunday night.
Zelenskyy is set to arrive at the White House at 1 p.m. ET, and Trump will meet with European leaders later in the afternoon.
The last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office was a disaster
During his February meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy was lectured by Trump and Vice President Vance before abruptly leaving the White House. The leaders have met and talked multiple times since then — including at the Vatican.
He will return to Washington amid new questions about Trump's positions on the war, which shifted after he met with Putin. Prior to the Alaska summit, Trump had said he wanted a ceasefire and threatened consequences for Russia if the fighting didn't end.
President Trump greets Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
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Julia Demaree Nikhinson
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AP
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But now Trump is advocating against a ceasefire and pushing for a full peace agreement, which is Putin's preferred position — and he has said he sees no immediate need for new sanctions.
The Trump administration says European leaders are coming to the White House because the president made progress in his Friday talks with Putin — not because Zelenskyy needs back-up.
They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskyy from being bullied," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. "They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans."
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Rubio emphasized that enough progress has been made to warrant a new phase of discussions.
"I'm not saying we're on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement," Rubio added. "Enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelenskyy and the Europeans, enough movement for us to dedicate even more time to this."
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on CNN's State of the Union, that the U.S. is working on concessions from Russia that — in his words — would be "game changing."
"We were able to win the following concession that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," Witkoff said, referring to NATO's collective defense clause. Witkoff said it was the first time U.S. officials had heard Russia agree to this before.
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To be sure, Russia has not said this publicly. But it would signal a significant shift on part of the Trump administration. Trump has long said it's up to Europe to provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees.
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