Ukrainian President Zelensky will meet with the leaders of France, the UK, and Germany in London on Monday. The summit follows President Donald Trump explaining that Zelensky was preventing an end to the war.
Sky News international correspondent John Sparks said that the meeting of European leaders was “not infused with a great deal of optimism.” He continued, “The Europeans have got a real problem on their hands, they’re trying to support the Ukrainians as the Ukrainians come under an extreme amount of pressure, both on the battlefield from the Russians and from Donald Trump.”
Without the massive military assistance provided by President Joe Biden to Ukraine, Europe has struggled to fund and arm Kiev’s military. The European Union has been unable to agree on a loan for Ukraine that would leverage frozen Russian assets. The President of the European Commission said Kiev is facing a $150 billion budget deficit over the next two years.
Last month, Trump’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine was leaked. The initial proposal was met with stiff criticism from European leaders who claimed it was too friendly to Europe. That plan was significantly revised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Zelensky’s former Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.
Yermak later resigned after Ukrainian anti-corruption police raided his home. He is accused of taking part in a $100 million corruption scheme that has also led to the resignations of the Justice and Energy Ministers.
It appears Trump’s peace plan was further revised after the President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. The President said that the current proposal is now acceptable, and Zelensky is holding up the agreement.
“I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal — that was as of a few hours ago,” Trump said Sunday. “Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it. But he isn’t ready.”
Washington’s European allies have attempted to circumvent Trump’s proposal and say the West must back Ukraine until Zelensky is willing to make a deal. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Matters for Ukraine are for Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s top issues with Trump’s proposal are Ukraine ceding the Donbas to Russia, and Kiev not receiving a strong enough security guarantee from Washington. Moscow has said it will continue to conquer Ukrainian territory until Zelensky makes a deal that respects Russia’s new borders and national security concerns.
