A meeting with US envoy Keith Kellogg, then a briefing with European leaders before meeting Donald Trump at the White House—the "lion's den," as the Financial Times put it. It's a long day in Washington for Volodymyr Zelensky, with a flurry of meetings centering around his face-to-face meeting with the American president in the Oval Office. Accompanying the Ukrainian president are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

The program of the day

The Ukrainian president met with European leaders arriving in Washington at the embassy in Kiev to finalize the final details before their face-to-face meeting with Trump. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended the pre-summit meeting. Trump received Zelensky in the Oval Office immediately after lunch (around 7:15 p.m. Italian time): it was the first meeting between the two leaders since their clash, also in the Oval Office, last February. Just under two hours later (around 9 p.m. Italian time), Trump formally welcomed the European leaders and, after a group photo, the long-awaited multilateral meeting with Zelensky began.

LIVE:

Trump: "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing" with Russia and Ukraine: "I'm here to end" the war. Donald Trump stated this on his Social Truth. "I've resolved six wars in six months, one of which was a potential nuclear disaster, yet I have to read and listen to the Wall Street Journal and so many others tell me everything I'm doing wrong in the Russia-Ukraine mess. This is Biden's war, and it would never have happened if I were president. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I don't need advice from people who have worked on these conflicts for years and failed to resolve them," Trump said.

Starmer: "The war in Ukraine must end, but a just peace is needed."

"Everyone wants the war in Ukraine to end, but we need a just and lasting peace." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this in a video recorded during his flight to Washington ahead of today's crucial White House summit. "It's in the UK's interest for us to get this right," the Labour prime minister added, recalling the suffering endured by Ukrainians in the long conflict and the consequences for the rest of Europe.

At the White House pre-summit between Zelensky and European leaders

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in a preparatory meeting—before the summit with US President Donald Trump—along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders present in Washington, according to the European Commission. Also attending the pre-summit meeting will be Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Zelensky: "Russian bombings are humiliating diplomatic efforts."

The Russian bombings "humiliate diplomatic efforts" to achieve peace in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media. Today, "we will discuss key points with President Trump. Along with Ukraine," he explained, "the leaders of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU, and NATO will participate in the talks. Everyone wants dignified peace and real security. And right now, the Russians are striking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odessa, residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure." "This is a deliberate murder of people by the Russians," Zelensky wrote, "the killing of children. Following the drone strike in Kharkiv, seven victims are currently known, the youngest of whom is a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, and dozens are injured, including children."

Witkoff: "Putin accepted European guarantees for Ukraine."

US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says Putin would accept European guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukraine, China hopes for an agreement acceptable to all parties

China said it hopes for an "all-party acceptable" agreement on Ukraine, ahead of the White House meeting between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders. "We hope that all parties and actors will participate in peace talks in a timely manner and reach a fair, lasting, binding, and all-party acceptable peace agreement as soon as possible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference.

Meloni arrived in Washington

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has arrived in Washington, where in a few hours she will meet with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and other European leaders at the White House.

The day's program has been released

The day's agenda has been released in Washington: US President Donald Trump will have a bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at 1:15 PM local time (7:15 PM Italian time) and will then greet European leaders at 2:15 PM (8:15 PM Italian time). A group photo is scheduled a quarter of an hour later, and the meeting is scheduled for 3:00 PM (9:00 PM Italian time). The European leaders, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are scheduled to arrive at the White House at 12:00 PM local time (6:00 PM Italian time). The US administration announced this in a statement.

(Unioneonline)

© Riproduzione riservata