WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders gather for talks at the White House aimed at showing U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia.
The European leaders were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they want to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. Many arrived at the White House with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine’s interests — a rare show of diplomatic force.
By coming as a group, they hope to avoid debacles like Zelenskyy’s February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. military aid. Trump and Zelen