European allies to back Zelenskyy in Trump meeting

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🗞️ Driving the news: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington today, joined by key European leaders to reinforce Kyiv’s position after Trump suggested Ukraine should drop claims to Crimea and NATO membership
• Trump said Zelenskyy “can end the war almost immediately” if he accepts such conditions
• The talks follow Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which produced no breakthroughs

🔭 The context: Europe is sending a heavyweight delegation — including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb
• Leaders aim to prevent Trump from conceding ground to Moscow and to ensure Europe has a seat in future negotiations
• The last Zelenskyy-Trump Oval Office meeting in February ended in acrimony, underscoring the stakes of today’s summit

🌍 Why it matters for the world: Any concessions by Ukraine under U.S. pressure could reshape European security architecture and embolden Russia’s territorial ambitions
• Europe’s unity in Washington signals that no decisions on Ukraine’s future will be accepted without Kyiv’s and Europe’s participation

⏭️ What’s next: Zelenskyy and Trump will hold a bilateral meeting at 1:15 p.m. EDT, followed by a larger session with European leaders in the afternoon
• Putin has so far refused to meet Zelenskyy directly, keeping the path to a trilateral deal uncertain

💬 One quote: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” — Donald Trump

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