Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has swiftly rejected Donald Trump’s demands to sacrifice Crimea and abandon NATO membership ahead of today’s crucial White House meeting, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation with the US President backed by key European allies.
Trump laid out his hardline terms on Sunday night in a Truth Social post, telling Zelensky he could “end the war with Russia almost immediately” by giving up the annexed peninsula and dropping Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. But within 90 minutes, Zelensky fired back on X, insisting “Russia must end this war, which it itself started.”
The high-stakes meeting at 1pm EST (18:00 BST) marks Zelensky’s first return to Washington since a disastrous February encounter that saw Trump berate him in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance demanding: “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?
European Leaders Unite Behind Zelensky
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, Britain’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, and other European leaders will join Zelensky at the White House, determined to prevent a repeat of February’s humiliation.
“The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr Zelensky to the hilt,” retired French General Dominique Trinquand told reporters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she would participate “at the request of President Zelensky,” while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed his attendance. The extraordinary gathering follows Trump’s failed summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, from which Zelensky was notably excluded.
Trump’s Ultimatum and Zelensky’s Defiance
Trump’s Sunday night Truth Social post at approximately 9:20pm claimed: “President Zelensky 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!!!”
Zelensky’s response was measured but firm: “Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence. Now, our soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting.”
The Ukrainian president pointedly rejected Trump’s suggestion about Crimea: “Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022.”
Deadly Russian Strikes Intensify
As diplomatic tensions escalated, Russian forces launched devastating attacks on Kharkiv overnight, killing three people including a two-year-old boy, and wounding at least 17 others. The strikes came hours before the Washington summit, underlining Putin’s determination to maintain military pressure.
Regional governor Oleh Synehubov reported the toddler was killed in a drone strike early Monday morning, following a ballistic missile attack Sunday night. Graphic images showed emergency crews carrying the child’s lifeless body from the rubble.
“A woman has just been rescued from under the rubble: she is alive,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, warning more victims could still be trapped. The ballistic missile strike shattered around 1,000 windows across the city.
Failed Alaska Summit Sets Stage
The Washington meeting follows Trump’s three-hour summit with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday, which ended without the ceasefire Trump had promised. During the meeting, Trump reportedly told European leaders that Russia had offered to freeze most front lines in exchange for Ukraine withdrawing from eastern regions – a proposal Zelensky had already rejected.
Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” Trump told Fox News after the Alaska summit. “Make a deal.”
The meeting schedule reveals Trump and Zelensky will meet at 1pm ET, with bilateral discussions at 1:15pm. At 1:15pm, Trump will greet the European leaders, followed by multilateral meetings at 3pm.
February’s Explosive Confrontation
Today’s gathering aims to avoid a repeat of February’s disastrous meeting, when Trump told Zelensky: “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
According to sources, Zelensky was asked to leave the White House by top Trump advisers following the heated confrontation, during which voices were raised and cross-talk played out before television cameras.
Strategic Implications
Ukrainian MP Oleg Dunda, part of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, told reporters: “Most likely, there will be little mutual understanding between Trump and Zelensky. Zelensky has already firmly rejected any proposals regarding territories.”
Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to “shape this fast-evolving agenda” by presenting a united front.
Trump appeared unfazed by the European show of force, writing on Truth Social: “Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!”
Shifting Peace Terms
The diplomatic landscape has shifted dramatically since Friday’s Alaska summit. Trump initially supported a ceasefire before comprehensive peace talks, but now backs Putin’s preference for a complete settlement without an interim truce – allowing Russian strikes to continue during negotiations.
“It’s impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons,” Zelensky argued. “Putin does not want to stop the killing, but he must do it.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence urged Trump to treat Putin as “the bad guy,” telling CNN: “The hammer needs to come and it needs to come immediately.
As leaders converge on Washington, the stakes could not be higher. With Ukraine holding approximately 25% of Donetsk including crucial defensive positions, and Russia controlling 75% of the region plus most of Luhansk, any territorial concessions would fundamentally reshape the conflict.
The meeting represents a critical test of Western unity and Trump’s ability to broker peace without sacrificing Ukraine’s sovereignty – a challenge complicated by his apparent alignment with several of Putin’s key demands.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Trump clashes with President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office (28 Feb 2025) – by The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
