Trump’s Peace Drive: The Critical Summit with Ukraine and Europe to End Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Testing US Leadership

In a bid to find a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, President Donald Trump is set to host a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders on Monday. This meeting represents a significant moment in efforts to end the brutal war that erupted following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

The gathering at the White House holds critical importance for European security and the Western alliance, marking one of the most significant days since the end of the Cold War. The summit will test Trump’s capacity to guide both Ukraine and Russia towards a resolution that may not satisfy either party.

Following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska, questions have arisen regarding Trump’s stance. The meeting was viewed outside the administration and certain circles as the U.S. president welcoming a war crimes accused leader with applause. However, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff stated on CNN that Russia had shown a willingness to compromise on post-war Western security arrangements for Ukraine and was prepared to make significant land swaps in any deal aimed at ending the fighting.

Witkoff asserted, “We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing.” The varying perceptions of Trump’s summit will influence the upcoming White House talks.

According to European officials, Putin called for Ukraine to relinquish large portions of the strategic and economically vital Donbas region in a peace deal. This demand could be politically, constitutionally, economically, and strategically impossible for Zelensky to accept, given his forces’ severe losses defending this territory seen as a bulwark against future Russian aggression.

While the specifics of the Alaska summit remain uncertain, the president’s call for European leaders and his push for peace should not be prematurely judged before crucial discussions take place. Trump expressed optimism on social media, stating “great progress” was being made.

However, concerns have been raised about Trump’s warning to Ukraine after the summit with Putin. Trump urged, “Make a deal,” and in a post on Truth Social, he echoed Russia’s stance that Ukraine cannot join NATO. This has prompted worry among Kyiv and other European capitals that Trump may seek to impose Putin’s vision of a settlement on Zelensky, potentially leaving the Ukrainian leader with an impossible choice.

The upcoming White House meeting could become an extraordinary spectacle if the president opens large portions of it to cameras, a possibility for which his visitors must prepare. The meeting raises questions about Trump’s role as a potential broker who can bring Ukraine, its European supporters, and Russia to a point where they can accept painful concessions despite their bitter animosity. Alternatively, does Trump’s acceptance of Putin’s opposition to an immediate ceasefire and postponement of tough new U.S. sanctions on Moscow mean the U.S. will now side with Russia against Ukraine and Europe?

Josh Rudolph, managing director and senior fellow of strategic democracy initiatives at the German Marshall Fund, commented, “Trump has done something useful in his drive to end the war: Negotiations have shown the world that Putin — not the Ukrainians or Europeans — is the one who’s unwilling to stop fighting without conditions like handing over more land than he has already illegally conquered.”

While criticism of the Alaska summit and Trump’s empathy towards Putin persists, Trump remains a potential catalyst for any peace deal. Although there’s little evidence suggesting that Russian leader Putin desires peace, U.S. pressure, effectively applied, could be the one factor that might deter him from continuing the conflict.

Europe will play a significant role in Ukraine’s security after any deal, but lacks influence with Putin and cannot fulfill a promised peace enforcement mission without Trump’s support. Discussion about whether Trump is rushing to conclude the Ukraine war to secure a Nobel Peace Prize is irrelevant in this context. If he can achieve a fair resolution, his motives are of little concern.

The visit of Zelensky will evoke memories of his disastrous last Oval Office meeting in February. His escort this time consists of leaders from France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Finland, NATO, and the European Commission, viewed as a protective unit amid concerns about Trump’s treatment of Zelensky.

Europe has more at stake than Zelensky’s reputation. The possibility of Russia triumphing in Ukraine and gaining validation for its illegal invasion poses the biggest geopolitical threat to Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union. Fiona Hill, who served as a Russia expert in Trump’s first term, stated on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “Europe has to have an equal say in all of this. This is about Europe’s future and the future of European security, not just about Ukraine’s.”

However, creating momentum for genuine peacemaking will be challenging, even as the administration pushes for a three-way summit between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, possibly as soon as the end of this week. As Nicholas Dungan, a senior member of the European Leadership Network, explained, “The challenge is to try to achieve alignment between what look like very disparate things — what Trump wants, what the Europeans want, what Putin wants.” What Putin wants may be impossible for Ukraine and its European allies to accept.