Merz and von der Leyen accompany Zelensky to Washington

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz , EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , French President Emmanuel Macron , British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will travel to Washington on Monday together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet US President Donald Trump .

The trip will serve as an "information exchange" with Trump following his summit with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius announced in Berlin. Topics of the talks include "security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression."

This Sunday, Ursula von der Leyen is expected to meet Zelensky in Brussels. Together, they will participate in another video conference of the "Coalition of the Willing," the states prepared to support Ukraine with a peacekeeping mission. The conference is being organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer .

Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska on Friday and literally rolled out the red carpet for his largely diplomatically isolated guest – despite the international arrest warrant for war crimes. Both sides remained silent on the specific content of the talks, but Trump backed down from his previous demand for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, de facto adopting Putin's position – without any visible concessions from the Kremlin chief.

Although a deal over the heads of the Ukrainians failed to materialize, the disillusionment in Europe was palpable. Putin used the podium next to Trump to once again present his view of the "root causes of the conflict." Trump did not contradict him and later stated in a TV interview that he advised Zelensky to agree to a "deal" with the militarily superior aggressor.

Moscow demands eastern Ukraine

The question of possible territorial cessions, which Kyiv firmly rejects, remains particularly explosive. According to US media, Putin demanded the full integration of Donbas into Russia . Trump conveyed this demand to Zelensky, Bloomberg, the New York Times, and Axios reported, citing informed sources. Currently, Moscow only controls parts of Donbas.

On Saturday, Trump briefed the most important European heads of state and government about his conversation with Putin. Chancellor Merz emphasized on German television that Trump "fortunately did not question a single one of the five core points previously agreed upon." At the same time, Merz expressed his openness to negotiations without a prior ceasefire: "If that succeeds, it will be worth more than a ceasefire that may last for weeks without further progress."

The question of territorial concessions was also addressed in the phone call between Trump and the Europeans. Merz made it clear that he hadn't completely ruled them out: "No territorial concessions until there's a peace agreement," he said on ARD's "Brennpunkt."

Security guarantees based on NATO clause

Such a treaty would also require security guarantees for Ukraine to come into force. Merz described it as good news that the US was also willing to participate in such security guarantees. According to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , these would be mutual assistance guarantees "inspired by Article 5 of NATO," although Ukraine would not join the military alliance. Article 5 of the NATO treaty obligates members to provide mutual assistance in the event of an attack.

Merz was critical of the staging of the Alaska summit: "It was a big spectacle. The press in Russia is cheering. A little less would have been enough."

"Some good advice" for Zelensky

What happens next depends largely on Zelensky's visit to Washington—and on the demands he and his European counterparts face there. A meeting between Trump and Zelensky in February escalated, prompting the US to temporarily suspend its military aid. According to Merz, a trilateral meeting between Trump and Putin will follow this time, although the time and place are still open. According to an unconfirmed Axios report, Trump is aiming for next Friday.

pgr/as (dpa, afp)