What To Watch For During Trump’s High-Stakes Meeting With Zelensky And European Leaders

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other European leaders at the White House on Monday afternoon to discuss a possible end to the Ukraine-Russia war.

The meeting was set up by Trump following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. After talking with Putin for nearly two hours, Trump has provided few details on what was discussed, but said that a ceasefire agreement is now up to Zelensky and Ukraine.

Here’s what to expect during the high-stakes talks on Monday

Who?

Along with Zelensky, numerous European leaders will meet with Trump at the White House.

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

When?

European leaders are expected to arrive at the White House at noon ET. Trump and Zelensky will meet first at around 1:00 p.m., with Vice President JD Vance also expected to join the meeting, according to The Hill. The last time Trump, Zelensky, and Vance met in the Oval Office on February 28, the Ukrainian leader was blasted by the president and vice president over his handling of the war and his continued requests for U.S. assistance.

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At 2:15 p.m., Trump will greet the other European leaders in the State Dining Room, and at 3:00 p.m., they will meet for discussions in the East Room, with Zelensky also joining them.

Before the meeting with Trump, the European leaders are expected to meet with Zelensky to prepare for discussions with the U.S. president, The New York Times reported.

What’s At Stake?

Trump said on Sunday night that an end to the more than three-year war between Ukraine and Russia is within reach, and a peace deal rests at the feet of Zelensky. The president wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”

Trump also suggested that Ukraine should not expect to get back Crimea or join NATO. Trump previously said that Ukraine and Russia could agree to a land swap.

“Remember how it started,” Trump added on Truth Social. “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!!!”

Hours before the major meeting at the White House, Russia launched more strikes on Ukraine, killing at least seven people, according to Ukrainian authorities.

“Russians are deliberately killing people, particularly children. As of now, seven people have been killed as a result of the drone strike in Kharkiv, the youngest being a girl who is only a year and a half old, and dozens have been injured, including children,” Zelensky said.

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Zelensky suggested on Sunday night that Ukraine would continue to fight for its eastern regions, where Russian forces are currently occupying much of the territory. The Ukrainian president said in a post on X, “We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. 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.”

“Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence,” Zelensky added. “Now, our soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance.”

While it remains unclear what exactly Trump and Putin discussed in Anchorage, the U.S. president said he agreed with Putin on “one or two significant items.” Trump added on Friday night, “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no deal until there’s a deal, but we did make a lot of progress.”

Trump has been criticized for meeting with Putin by Democrats and the legacy media, who argue that the talks gave the Russian dictator legitimacy without much progress being made toward a peace deal. Trump fired back at his critics, calling them “sick.”

“The Fake News has been saying for 3 days that I suffered a ‘major defeat’ by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States,” Trump wrote, adding, “Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention! If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was.”

“These people are sick!” he added.