These European leaders will accompany Zelensky to meet with Trump

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for talks with President Trump in Washington, D.C., this week, he will be flanked by several European leaders.The big picture: The Monday discussion could prove challenging, with Trump's positions following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin appearing unfavorable to Ukraine. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a Sunday appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation," denied that the European officials making the trip were doing so to keep Zelensky from being bullied into a deal.The meeting comes some six months after Zelensky's February Oval Office trip flared into a heated argument, with Trump and Vice President Vance publicly accusing him of disrespect.Context: Zelensky, in a statement shared after a phone call with Trump and various NATO leaders about the Alaska summit, said it is important Europeans are involved at "every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America."As described by Rubio on NBC's "Meet the Press," security guarantees are one of Ukraine's "fundamental demands" — but how those are structured and what exactly the U.S. role will be remains unclear.On Sunday, Zelensky said in a statement that security for Ukraine must "work in practice," like NATO's Article 5: a cornerstone of the alliance that states that an armed attack against one should be considered an attack against all.What they're saying: U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Putin had agreed to "robust security guarantees" during the Alaska summit, telling "Fox News Sunday," the U.S. is "potentially prepared to be able to give Article 5 security guarantees, but not from NATO — directly from the United States and other European countries." The details of such an arrangement are sure to be part of Monday's talks.Read on for more on who will be attending the discussion:NATO Secretary General Mark RutteRutte, the former Dutch Prime Minister, will attend Monday, per a NATO advisory.Just last month, Rutte visited the White House to rally support for Ukraine. Speaking alongside Rutte, Trump announced the U.S. would send "billions" of dollars worth of "the best" military equipment to NATO allies (with those countries footing the bill). Rutte said that would allow Ukraine to obtain "a massive supply" of weapons.Worth noting: Ukraine has aspired for NATO membership — but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in February said Kyiv joining the alliance was not a "realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."European Commission President Ursula von der LeyenThe European Commission leader, relatively fresh off negotiating a trade deal with the U.S., said she would meet with Trump and other leaders "at the request of" Zelensky.She vowed Sunday at a press conference following a bilateral meeting with Zelensky to support him for "as long as it takes" and applauded the Trump administration's "willingness to contribute" to security guarantees.But she noted that "the work of defending Europe is first and foremost our responsibility," adding that "we've been working hard to speed up and scale up as we increase Europe's defense capability."Europe will also "continue to support Ukraine's path to its membership" in the EU, she said Sunday.German Chancellor Friedrich MerzMerz announced in a Sunday X post that he would travel to D.C. to "exchange views with US President Trump on the status of peace efforts, security guarantees, territorial issues, and further support for Ukraine."The German defense ministry in May announced it would provide some €5 billion worth of military support to Ukraine.Rutte last week thanked Germany in an X post for funding a package of U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, noting Germany is the largest European contributor of military aid to the country.Finnish President Alexander StubbStubb's office confirmed Sunday that he would be in attendance.On X, he said that "Europe and the United States are further strengthening their common position" and that joint efforts with Ukraine would continue in D.C.Stubb, a golfer, has formed a relationship with the U.S. president, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) describing him to The Wall Street Journal as "a conduit, a bridge, between Europe and Trump."Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meloni is also set to travel to D.C., multiple outlets reported.In a Saturday statement, the far-right leader applauded a "glimmer of hope" in peace discussions, saying Italy is prepared to do its part, per a translation.French President Emmanuel MacronMacron, who multiple outlets reported will be in attendance Monday, said after a Sunday virtual meeting of European allies that the leaders planned to demonstrate a united front, per the BBC.He said it was time to move into a "new diplomatic phase" toward ending the war and warned that showing weakness now risks laying the ground for future conflict.A source who discussed a call between Trump, Zelensky and several European leaders ahead of the Alaska summit told Axios that Macron took "very tough" positions and told Trump "a meeting is a very big thing to give to Putin," Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo reported.British Prime Minister Keir StarmerMultiple outlets also reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend talks in Washington.Trump threatened a new deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire last month during a meeting with Starmer, who traveled to meet the U.S. president for wide-ranging talks in Scotland.In a Saturday statement, Starmer said progress had been made, but the "next step must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy."He added, "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him."Go deeper: Rubio says peace agreement "a long ways off" after Putin summit

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