Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is heading to Washington on Monday for what could be one of the toughest meetings of his presidency. He’ll sit down with Donald Trump, who is
pushing hard for a fast peace deal with Russia—something that could put Kyiv in a dangerous spot.
The trip comes just days after Trump hosted Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a move that rattled Ukraine and many of its allies. That summit ended without the ceasefire Trump had hoped for, but the U.S. president has since doubled down. On Saturday, he said he now wants a full peace agreement and suggested Ukraine should accept it because, in his words, “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.”
For Zelenskiy, that sets the stage for an uphill battle. The last time the two leaders met in the Oval Office, things went badly. Trump publicly scolded him, saying Ukraine didn’t “hold the cards” in negotiations and warning that Kyiv’s position risked dragging the world toward a wider war.
Despite weeks of diplomatic efforts from Europe and Ukraine to push for a ceasefire first, Trump appears focused on cutting a broader deal—and quickly. According to reports, he even floated the idea of Ukraine pulling its troops back from parts of the eastern Donetsk region, territory Russia has fought over for years. Zelenskiy flatly rejected that, insisting Ukraine will not abandon land that is legally and strategically theirs.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, warned that Trump’s approach could play directly into Putin’s hands. A so-called peace deal, he said, might come with Kremlin demands that Ukraine sees as unacceptable, like blocking NATO membership or imposing Russian political and cultural influence inside Ukraine.
Still, Zelenskiy knows he must avoid another clash with Trump. The U.S. remains Ukraine’s most critical source of military aid and intelligence, and keeping that support intact is vital. Behind the scenes, there’s also talk of new “security guarantees” for Ukraine—commitments that wouldn’t make the country a NATO member but could function in a similar way, promising U.S. or European backing if Russia attacked again.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly said the only real way forward is a meeting that includes Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine at the table together. Trump has floated that idea too, but only if his one-on-one talks with Putin show progress.
As Zelenskiy flies to Washington, the stakes couldn’t be higher: defend Ukraine’s red lines, keep U.S. support strong, and try to avoid being cornered into a deal that could undermine his country’s future. Photo by President.gov.ua, Wikimedia commons.