European leaders have arrived at the White House, ahead of a day of meetings with President Donald Trump centered on the Russia-Ukraine war.
NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte was the first leader to arrive on the White House grounds, followed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The other leaders are German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and French President Emmanuel Macron. They were all greeted by Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley.
They awaited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s arrival at the executive residence.
Last-minute gatherings of top world leaders are a rarity at the White House. European officials said the decision to come to Washington reflected the urgency many leaders feel in aligning with President Donald Trump on the Russia-Ukraine conflict — but also their alarm at not being sidelined.
The leaders flew to Washington separately but coordinated their approach before meeting Trump.
Ahead of the meeting with Trump, EU leaders met with Zelenskyy at the Ukrainian Embassy in DC.
In a video posted to X shortly after the meeting, Zelenskyy can be seen warmly greeting the leaders of Finland, Italy, the UK, NATO, and EC, among others.
In his post, he said that Ukraine was seeking a “reliable and lasting peace” in its war with Russia and that it was prepared to establish “a new security architecture.”
“Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe. And it is important that the momentum of all our meetings lead to precisely this result.
“Ukraine is ready for a real truce and for establishing a new security architecture. We need peace.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
He said on X that the US, Europe and others must put pressure on Russia’s president, saying that no one should expect Vladimir Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at conquest.
Zelensky added that he and European allies have coordinated their positions ahead of the meeting with Trum
Minutes before the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting was set to being, the Ukrainian President arrived at the White House.
The EU leaders arrived at a separate entrance and were greeted by the Chief of protocol. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, arrived at the entrance just outside the Oval Office and was greeted by Trump.
Zelenskyy arrived at the White House wearing more formal attire than his customary military garb, but stopped short of wearing a full suit and tie.
Treading a middle path between a full suit and his usual attire, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Monday wearing a black shirt and black jacket.
Meloni Pleased With NATO-Inspired Security Guarantees For Ukraine
Speaking to reporters in Washington, DC, Italian Premier, Giorgia Meloni said that she is pleased with the proposal of security guarantees for Ukraine inspired by NATO’s Article 5.
“Clearly we have to build, work on this. But the work we are doing today, from my point of view, is important work. Clearly there are no easy solutions when talking about ending a war and building peace.
“We have to explore all possible solutions to guarantee peace, to guarantee justice and to guarantee security for our countries.”
Giorgia Meloni
Meloni has long positioned herself as a “bridge” between the Trump administration and Europe and said the meeting is important because “finally” Russia had given a sign it was ready for dialogue.
