Ukraine War | Zelenskyy meets Trump again

Following the summit between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington to meet with Trump.

Zelensky, accompanied by European supporters, hopes the meeting in the White House will be a major step toward ending the war. "Both the meeting and the moment we are in are crucial," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha commented on the Washington meeting.

Where the Ukrainian leadership gets its confidence that Trump could side with them is completely unclear. The US president recently made it clear that the ball is in Zelensky's court and that the Ukrainian president could end the war "almost immediately" if he agrees to the conditions agreed upon by Trump and Putin over the weekend. These primarily involve a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire and the Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas. NATO accession and the return of Crimea are also to be removed from Kyiv's wish list.

Zelensyky has repeatedly vehemently rejected such demands. Ukrainian sources now say the president could agree to an "acceptable compromise" along the front line that would be acceptable to the Ukrainian people.

If Zelensky agrees to Trump's demands, the meeting with Putin (and Trump) that Zelensky has called for could take place as early as the end of the week. Geneva, the Vatican, and Rome are being mentioned as possible summit locations. Even if a ceasefire were to be agreed soon, its monitoring remains unclear. While more and more countries are stressing that they will not send troops to Ukraine, German hardliners are bringing this very thing into play.

Left Party leader Jan van Aken would rather see China at the negotiating table instead. If China invites, Russia cannot refuse talks. "The one-sided tunnel vision on Washington will eventually take its toll," he said. Putin spoke by phone on Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Lula, who, according to Russian media, also reaffirmed their willingness to engage more closely.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine itself, preparations are being made for the war to continue into 2026. This is what the new government is assuming when presenting its budget for the coming year.