European leaders, led by Ursula von der Leyen, held a preparatory meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski before their meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. This meeting, which was not detailed in the official schedules, took place in the morning in Washington. The main objective of this appointment was to ensure total coordination with Europe before the key meeting with Trump. Among the attendees were prominent figures such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who arrived in Washington to back Zelensky in his first visit to the White House since a tense meeting earlier in February. On that occasion, a dispute with Trump and JD Vance left bilateral relations damaged, and now there is an effort to restore diplomatic ties.
This mobilization of European leaders occurs shortly after the summit between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Despite threats of sanctions from the U.S. president, Putin managed to break his international isolation without compromising his positions. The dynamic generated by the meeting between Trump and Putin has underscored the importance of involving Europe in crucial discussions about security and strategic futures. Emmanuel Macron emphasized that Europeans must be present in the discussions that affect their security and should not be relegated to mere topics of debate. Thus, the meeting seeks to guarantee that any dialogue about Ukraine and European security includes the main affected parties.
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