After the summit in Alaska: Merz and von der Leyen support Selenskyj near Trump

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj received broad support from Europe on Monday on his trip to Washington to US President Donald Trump. Both Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO general secretary Mark Rutte will accompany the Ukrainian to the meeting in Washington. There are also other heads of state and government from Europe.

The topic of conversation with Trump is a termination of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Among other things, it is about “security guarantees, territorial questions and the continued support of Ukraine in the defense against Russian aggression, the federal government said.

Macron and Strandmer also travel to Washington

The trip also serves the exchange of information with Trump after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Germany underlines the goal of peace in Ukraine, it said from Berlin.

Among other things, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, the British Premier Keir Strander and Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced their participation. Europeans want to prevent decisions from being disadvantageed by Ukraine. From the Leyen wrote that she accompanied Selenskyj on his request.

After meeting Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump had moved away from his demand for a ceasefire. Instead, in the sense of Putin, a peace agreement should now be discussed. Among other things, Russia demands that Ukraine do without areas, which Selenskyj categorically rejects.

New fiasco in the White House should be avoided

How it continues should depend significantly on how Selenskyj’s conversation with Trump is in Washington – and what demands he is confronted with.

In February, his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office escalated in front of the cameras in front of the cameras, so that the Ukrainian had to pull off the uninfected things. As a result, the United States temporarily exposed its military aids that are extremely important for Ukraine. A repetition of such scenes is to be avoided with united forces.

Even today, Selenskyj in Brussels, together with von der Leyen, was to be written on a video count on the “coalition of the willing” on X on X. The allies wanted to advise on how to proceed in the afternoon.

Even Pope Leo XIV spoke up and called on prayer for peace. “Let us pray that the efforts to end the war and promote peace may be crowned with success (…),” said the Holy Father, according to a message.

Dreier summit possibly on Friday

According to Merz, Selenskyj’s visit should follow a trilateral conversation with Trump and Putin this time, for which there is still no place and time. According to an unconfirmed “Axios” report, the US President made his European interlocutors know that he would strive for such a meeting on Friday.

Meanwhile, the government in Kyiv called for more pressure on Moscow from the Europeans. Ukraine also needs guarantees for its own security, strengthening its defense and a package of deterrent measures that forces Russia to end the war, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha on X.

Sanction pressure on Russia must be increased, the minister said. The EU Commission is currently preparing a 19th package with punitive measures.

Red carpet for Putin in Alaska

Trump received Putin for a summit in Alaska’s largest city anchorage last Friday and literally rolled out the red carpet to his diplomatically largely isolated guest – although there is an international arrest warrant for war crimes against Putin.

The two of them did not prize specific conversation content afterwards. However, Trump swiveled on Putin’s line by giving up the demand for a ceasefire, without the Russian president himself made visible concessions.

Trump advises Selenskyj to a deal with Moscow

From the perspective of the Europeans, the worst scenario, a deal across the head of the Ukrainians, did not become a reality for the time being. But the disillusionment after the intensive agreements in advance – also with Trump – was noticeable.

In addition to his host, Putin was once again able to make it clear at the speaker that the basic causes of the conflict should first be eliminated for a stable peace, as he defines them. Trump left the unchallenged – and later emphasized in a TV interview that he advised Selenskyj to agree to a “deal” with the militarily superior attacker.

Putin supposedly demands complete Donbass

According to US media, Putin is said to have asked for the complete Donbass in the east of Ukraine to strike Russia. Trump passed this demand on to Selenskyj, reported the Bloomberg news agency, the newspaper “New York Times” and the news page “Axios”, citing informed circles. At the moment, Moscow only controls parts of the Donbass.

After the summit, Trump informed the most important European heads of state and government on Saturday morning about his conversation with Putin. Fortunately, Trump did not question a single of the five key points previously defined by the Europeans and Selenskyj, said Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a ZDF interview.

Merz: USA ready for security guarantees

In the meantime, the CDU chairman also believes peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia without prior armistice – provided that an agreement quickly comes. “If this succeeds, it is more value than a ceasefire that may last for weeks – without further progress in the political, diplomatic efforts.”

At the latest with a peace treaty, security guarantees for Ukraine would have to come into force. Merz described the fact that the United States is also ready to participate in such security guarantees as good news.