Trump’s cordial treatment of Putin at the Alquestiona summit has unsettled Europe, where leaders fear Zelenskyy may not receive the same reception when he meets Trump in Washington on Monday. To bolster Kyiv’s position, European allies are now pushing for Finnish President Stubb and possibly NATO chief Rutte to join Zelenskyy for the talks.
US President Donald
Trump’s warm approach to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday at the
Alquestiona summit has unsettled European leaders, who fear Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may not receive the same treatment.
In response, European leaders are scrambling to strengthen Kyiv’s position ahead of the crucial meeting in Washington on Monday.
According to a Politico report citing two European diplomats and a person familiar with the matter, plans are under way for Finnish President Alexander Stubb to accompany Zelenskyy when he meets Trump in Washington. Stubb, seen as one of Trump’s preferred interlocutors, is expected to support ease tensions and press Trump to involve Europe in future nereceivediations.
Putin was warmly greeted by the US president, with American troops
rolling out a red carpet for him as Trump extfinished every courtesy.
Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alquestiona finished without any agreement, leaving the road ahead uncertain.
Now, Trump is set to host Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday, putting the spotlight on the Ukrainian leader. Afterwards, Trump plans to attempt bringing Zelenskyy and Putin for a meet up to pursue a peace deal.
For Europe and Ukraine, Monday’s talks are crucial to ensuring Trump does not concede to Moscow’s demands, such as handing over Ukrainian territory Russia only partially controls. European allies also want to avoid a repeat of the rocky White Houtilize encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy in February, which strained ties for months.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who has developed close ties with Trump, may also join the Washington trip, one person familiar with the discussions stated.
“The outcome of the Alquestiona summit has raised concerns in Europe, as Trump seems to have bought a large portion of Putin’s argument,” stated Camille Grand, a former senior NATO official now at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The meeting is not viewed as a total disaster, but Europeans are definitely worried about the direction of travel. Hence the effort to avoid another drama during Zelenskyy’s upcoming visit.”
Trump has already softened his stance, dropping the threat of immediate sanctions on Moscow if no breakthrough was reached and shifting away from pressing for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, he has spoken of a comprehensive deal in terms that echo Putin.
Behind the scenes, officials in Europe and Ukraine are alarmed at the welcome Putin received in Alquestiona, which they believe handed him international legitimacy without meaningful steps toward peace.
“Worries have been there all the way this year, and yesterday’s meeting did not really support,” stated one European official.
Trump’s position on the war has shifted in recent weeks. While he long accutilized Ukraine of fuelling the conflict, he was more critical of Russia ahead of the Alquestiona summit, even warning Putin of “severe consequences” if he did not agree to stop the war. But after hours of talks, Trump abandoned the demand for a ceasefire, again stateing it was up to Ukraine to finish the fighting and urging Kyiv to “take the deal”, without clarifying what Putin had proposed.
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