Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be joined by European leaders and Nato in his crucial meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on Sunday that she, along with other top leaders, will stand alongside Zelenskyy in the White House. “At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow,” von der Leyen said in a post on social media platform X.Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is also set to attend the meeting, as per officials cited by AFP. French President Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte announced they would be part of the delegation too.Alonside, UK PM Keir Starmer will also be joining Zelenskyy at the White House, Downing Street confirmed.”The Prime Minister, with other European leaders, stands ready to support this next phase of further talks,” read the statement, released ahead of a video meeting with Ukraine and its backers on Sunday.This move comes as an effort to ensure that the US does not enter into a deal that favours Russia and the meeting does not end in a heated dispute like the Ukrainian President’s last meeting with Trump. The joint presence of European and Nato leaders at Zelenskyy’s side is seen as an effort to avoid a repeat of the bruising encounter the Ukrainian president faced in February, when a tense Oval Office meeting with Trump left Kyiv fearing it might be pressured into concessions.The collective show of support comes just days after Trump held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting from which Zelenskyy was excluded. That decision sparked unease across European capitals and heightened concerns in Kyiv that Trump could attempt to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace deal that favours Moscow.The joint visit highlights Europe’s determination to secure a say in Trump’s peace efforts, following the US president’s Friday summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a meeting that excluded Zelenskyy.
