Trump-Zelensky meeting: What’s the schedule, what’s at stake?

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United States President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for high-stakes peace talks at the White House on Monday.

After a summit in Alaska on Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, Trump suggested on Sunday that a peace agreement could come quickly if Zelenskyy cedes eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region to Russia. The summit had ended with no peace deal despite high hopes leading up to it.

Zelenskyy will be joined in Washington, DC, by several European leaders who will be there to support Ukraine’s position and push for its direct involvement in any peace deal and for that deal to be backed by US security guarantees.

So when will the meeting be? Who’s going to be there? And what will be said? Here’s all you need to know:

When will the meetings be and where?

The meetings will be in the White House in the US capital.

Delegations will arrive around midday, and several hours of meetings will follow. Here’s the schedule:

Noon (16:00 GMT): European leaders arrive at the White House.
1pm (17:00 GMT): Zelenskyy arrives at the White House.
1:15pm (17:15 GMT): Meeting held between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
2:15pm (18:15 GMT): Trump greets the European leaders in the State Dining Room.
2:30pm (18:30 GMT): A “family photo” taken in Cross Hall.
3pm (19:00 GMT): A multilateral meeting held in the East Room.

Who will be attending?

In addition to Trump, confirmed participants at Monday’s meeting are:

Finnish President Alexander Stubb
French President Emmanuel Macron
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

What are they going to discuss?

One of the most important items on the agenda will be Putin’s territorial demands in Ukraine. To date, Zelenskyy has refused to consider the possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory to bring about peace.

But accepting Russia’s de facto control of Ukrainian territory, notably of the Donbas, would be easier to swallow if accompanied by US guarantees of Ukraine’s future security.

These security guarantees are likely to be on the agenda as well to hash out their principles and implementation.

On Sunday, special Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin had agreed for the US and Europe to provide future security protections to Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article 5 self-defence pact. Under Article 5, an attack against a NATO member is considered an attack against all members of the military alliance.

Von der Leyen welcomed the proposal of NATO-style security guarantees from the US, noting that the “coalition of the willing, including the European Union, is ready to do its share”.

It is also expected that Trump will brief attendees on the behind-the-scenes details of his talks with Putin.

What is the Ukrainian stance?

Ukraine has long pushed for NATO membership, a scenario that Russia has stood firmly against. The European-US security guarantees are seen by analysts as a possible alternative that could appease Ukraine’s desire for security.

Further clarity on this matter is expected after the meetings conclude on Monday.

On the matter of ceding Ukrainian land to Russia, Zelenskyy appeared to push back against the idea in a post on X in which he described Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent invasion of eastern Ukraine as a cautionary tale.

Zelenskyy wrote that today’s situation is “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. … [Crimea] should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022.”

What is Europe worried about?

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Brussels has fretted about Ukraine giving up land and its repercussions for Europe – namely about the potential for Russia to try to expand its borders beyond Ukraine.

European leaders will reaffirm their support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and argue against any land swaps that reward Russia.

For his part, Starmer praised Trump for his “efforts to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine”, adding that the “path to peace” could not be established without Ukraine.

He also said Russia should be “squeezed” with further sanctions.

What is the US stance?

Since meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump has increased pressure on Ukraine to accept an agreement to end Russia’s war, claiming that Zelenskyy could choose to end the conflict “almost immediately”.

He also warned that the return of Russian-occupied Crimea and Ukrainian accession to NATO would be off the table in any negotiated settlement.

“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 his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

Trump’s remarks may spark alarm among European diplomats eager to avoid a repeat of Zelenskyy’s public humiliation during his last visit to the White House in February when Trump and US Vice President JD Vance accused him of ingratitude and disrespect.

Putin cups his hands around his mouth to speak at a media appearance.

What does Russia want?

That’s not entirely clear.

As mentioned, the Alaska summit ended with no peace deal, and no arrangements were made for follow-up, working-level meetings, which would have been expected if any agreements had been reached in principle.

Putin has also rejected Zelenskyy’s calls for a ceasefire that would take hold as they discussed reaching a lasting peace agreement.

According to sources close to the matter who spoke to the Reuters news agency, Russia has suggested giving up small pockets of Ukrainian land in return for Ukraine giving it stretches of land in its east.

Source:

Al Jazeera and news agencies

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