Ukraine-Russia war latest: European leaders to join Zelensky for Trump meeting after Putin demands Donbas region

President Emmanuel Macron will also go to Washington with President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside other European leaders on Monday, the French presidency office said in a statement on Sunday.

The leaders will pursue the “coordination work between the Europeans and the United States with the goal of coming to a just and lasting peace that preserves the vital interests of Ukraine and the security of Europe”, the statement said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also accompany Zelensky and other European leaders on a visit to Washington for discussions with Donald Trump about Ukraine, the German government said on Sunday.

“The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression. This includes maintaining pressure on sanctions,” the government said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she will be meeting U.S. President Donald Trump along with other European leaders in the White House on Monday at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

She also said that she will welcome Zelensky in Brussels later on Sunday and together will participate in a meeting of European leaders.

Russian forces shot down 300 Ukrainian drones and struck storage sites for Sapsan missiles while fierce battles raged in the Donetsk region where Ukrainian forces were trying to halt a Russian advance, the defence ministry and war bloggers said.

Russia’s defence ministry said Russian forces had gained better positions near the settlement of Zolotyi Kolodiaz in the Donetsk region, though pro-Ukrainian maps showed that Ukrainian forces had contained the Russian advance.

The defence ministry said war planes, drones and missiles had been used to strike Ukrainian storage sites for Sapsan missiles across the country.

“Four guided aerial bombs and 300 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defense systems,” the ministry said.

In a post on social media site X, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia are complicating efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

He wrote: “We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation.

“If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbors for decades.

“But together we are working for peace and security. Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war.”

The Russian leader told Donald Trump that he would be prepared to stop fighting on the rest of the frontline if Ukraine gave in to the demand and addressed the “root causes of the conflict”.

The concessions were discussed at the highly anticipated summit of the two leaders in Alaska on Friday, which ended with no peace deal despite nearly three hours of talks.

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The highly-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had been hailed as an essential and crucial step in forging a path towards peace in wartorn Ukraine.

In Moscow, the meeting has been praised as a success, while in the West, it has left more questions than answers.

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While multiple European leaders have been invited to join Volodymyr Zelensky during his trip to Washington on Monday, it has been reported that Trump favourite Alexander Stubb will be the one to make the trip.

According to two European diplomats and a person familiar with the matter who spoke to Politico, the Finnish president will be on hand to prevent any flare-ups between the Ukrainian president and Donald Trump, and to include Europe in any discussions.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has a close relationship with Trump, may also make the trip to Washington.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has named his price for ending the war in Ukraine. If he is given those parts of the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk that he does not already occupy, he would freeze the rest of the frontline.

His offer, made at the summit meeting in Alaska, was relayed by Donald Trump to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and Mr Trump then advised Mr Zelensky in a public interview to “make a deal” with Russia.

The US president’s position remains confused and ambiguous, but the implication that Ukraine should give up more land than it has already lost is not the right place to start. It is generally accepted, including by Mr Zelensky, that Ukraine will have to compromise in order to secure peace, but this would not be a compromise. It would be a straightforward concession, yielding to Mr Putin what he has been unable to win on the battlefield.

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