European Union (EU) leaders arrived in Washington today after cautiously welcoming US President Donald Trump’s latest effort to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
They will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a high-stakes meeting with Trump. Europe has expressed its determination to support Ukraine and maintain its influence over the outcome of the conflict after Friday’s peace talks in Alaska.
Europe wants “ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,” eight European officials said in a joint statement on Saturday. “The next step must now be further talks, including President Zelenskyy.”
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage for three-hour peace talks. The two leaders described their meeting as “productive,” without providing specific details at their press conference.
Trump has pushed to end the 3.5-year war that has left 1 million killed and wounded since his 2024 presidential campaign. He wants to end a conflict that has crippled the Russian and Ukrainian economies, disrupted much-needed energy supplies, and strained EU-US ties.
Following the talks, West Texas Intermediate oil opened the week at $62.59 per barrel, nearly 1% lower compared to Friday’s closing price, before fully retracing the loss.
Putin Agrees To Ukraine Security Guarantee
During the post-meeting press conference in Anchorage, Putin didn’t signal any willingness to end the war. He reiterated his point that the “root causes” of the invasion must be eliminated, pointing to NATO’s eastward expansion.
Trump noted at the press conference that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.” Putin added that he hoped that Europe would accept the US-Russian talks as “constructive” and “not try to disrupt the emerging progress.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday on ABC that “both sides” were going to have to make concessions to end the conflict.
While Trump and Putin negotiated, Russia continued its bombardments against civilian infrastructure in eastern Ukraine. In response, Ukraine used drones to strike Russian territory.
Two days after the summit, Special US envoy Steve …