French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that Sunday’s virtual meeting of European leaders lasted just over two hours, emphasizing that the plan is to “present a united front” when they meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, BBC reports.
Macron noted that the war in Ukraine has entered a “decisive phase”, adding that the meeting will reveal how far Trump is willing to go in offering security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also meet Trump in Washington on Monday, accompanied by European leaders.
On Sunday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said that Russia has made concessions regarding five key Ukrainian territories it claims, and added that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that Europe and the U.S. should provide strong security guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron stated that the European delegation will press Trump to support their plan to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces with additional training and equipment. According to a draft European plan, an allied force would be stationed in Ukraine away from the front lines, to reassure Kyiv of lasting peace and deter further Russian aggression, AP reported.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels that they “welcome President Trump’s readiness to contribute with NATO Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine.”
