Trump is set to discuss a possible land exchange with Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday, as ITV News’ Fred Dimbleby reports
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is among a number of European leaders joining Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.
The move was announced after a video conference meeting between European leaders on Sunday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X: “At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, the chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, and the secretary general of the NATO military alliance Mark Rutte are among others who have confirmed their attendence.
It comes as US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering Putin’s demands for full control of parts of Ukrainian territory as a means of ending the war.
Trump and Putin met on Friday at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit to broker an end to the war in Ukraine – but no deal was reached.
Reports claim Putin pushed for a land grab of occupied Ukrainian regions Donetsk and Luhansk during the negotiations, as a condition for stopping the conflict.
In exchange, he would give up other Ukrainian territories held by Russian troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected giving up the territory in the Donbas.
Other outlets reported that Trump will support the plan, and will discuss it with Zelensky when they meet in the Oval Office on Monday.
The one-on-one in the Oval Office could pave the way for a three-way meeting alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the US President has said.
Starmer commended Trump’s “pursuit of an end to the killing” following a phone call with the US President, Zelensky and Nato allies on Saturday morning.
But the PM insisted Ukraine’s leader must not be excluded from future talks to broker a peace in Ukraine.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy accused Russia of “complicating” the process of stopping the war.
“We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing,” he wrote.
Trump also appeared to have a change of heart following Friday’s summit, indicating that he wants a permanent peace settlement rather than a ceasefire, echoing the sentiment of Putin.
The Russian leader has long said Moscow is not interested in a temporary truce and is seeking a long-term settlement.
The Prime Minister and European leaders appeared increasingly confident that Trump will offer a “security guarantee” of air support to back up allied troops on the ground in Ukraine, should they be deployed to keep the peace.
Experts have warned Friday’s face-to-face summit has risked legitimising the Russian leader, who has been made a pariah by the international community for invading Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US First Lady Melania Trump has taken the unusual step in writing a letter to Putin calling for peace, which Trump hand-delivered to the Russian president.
The letter did not specifically mention Ukraine, but pleaded with Putin to think of the children impacted by conflict.
She wrote: “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself.”
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