European leaders to visit Trump following realigned US commitments to Ukraine
Faced with the Trump administration’s apparent reluctance to bring Ukraine and Europe to the negotiating table regarding peace with Russia, European leaders have reaffirmed their support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and their commitment to common security goals.
After discussions on security priorities against the backdrop of the three-year war in Ukraine, several European officials have planned visits to the United States in order to discuss an end to the war and to push for a European role in the path towards a potential peace deal.
Polish President Andrzej Duda will meet with Donald Trump on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Washington DC on Monday, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to be in the US on Thursday.
The Polish President, making his first visit to Trump since he returned to the White House in January, has long had a positive relationship with his American counterpart.
From the beginning of the Russian invasion, Poland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and a central transport hub for humanitarian aid and military equipment coming from the West.
Senior members of the Trump administration, including US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, have praised Poland’s defense spending and commitment to security.
In his first bilateral state visit last week, Hegseth praised Poland as a “model NATO ally” during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Prior to his arrival in the US, Duda said in a statement on X that he had spoken with Zelenskyy on the phone to discuss the peace process and the US’ talks with Moscow.
“I conveyed to him that we consistently believe there is no other way to stop the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine except with the support of the United States,” Duda wrote on X.
“For this reason, I suggested to President Zelensky to remain committed to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with US President Donald Trump,” he added.
The announcements of this flurry of diplomatic visits come after a delegation from the US met with Russian diplomats in the Saudi capital Riyadh for talks on ending the war.
No representatives from Ukraine or Europe were invited.
In response, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted European leaders at an emergency summit in Paris on Monday to align their joint position on Ukraine.
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Macron has said that he intends to tell the US President not to “be weak” in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“What I’m going to tell him, is that you can’t be weak in front of President Putin. It’s not you, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest,” Macron said as he answered questions on his social media page on Thursday.
“How can you be credible in front of China if you’re weak in front of Putin? If you let Russia take over Ukraine, it will be unstoppable for Europeans, for everyone,” he added.
