Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be making appearances and European leaders, as well as former U.S. President Donald Trump. That significant roundtable event is happening at the White House this coming Monday. The talks will be mostly about the disputed Donbas area in Ukraine, made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. This region is rich in mineral resources, like coal and iron ore. These resources provide it with essential geographic significance in the present-day clash between Ukraine and Russia.
His proposal that Ukraine should cede Donbas to Russia has drawn anger from Ukrainian leaders and European allies. His position represents a significant break from the now common position shared by Ukraine and much of their European allies. Critically, they are all deeply against any territorial giveaways to Russia. The war’s devastating toll on civilians has shocked the world. Some have expressed concerns that a peace agreement without prior, separate ceasefire agreements would hand Moscow the upper hand in such negotiations.
The meeting at the White House is happening at a pivotal moment. Trump reportedly expressed confidence that a peace deal could be reached if Zelenskyy agrees to relinquish control over the Donbas region. Ukrainian and European leaders should be rightly alarmed by this claim. They believe that doing so would compromise Ukrainian sovereignty and enable Russia to feel emboldened in future negotiations.
European leaders are telling us to climb down from the ledge. Many are calling for Zelenskyy to become more personally involved in talks over Donbas and other areas linked to the conflict. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join discussions on the state of peace process efforts. He will be accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron for this key conversation.
Zelenskyy has already spoken out about the difficulty Russia’s unwillingness to commit to ceasefire conditions has created. He stated, “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.” His comments highlight the sensitive balancing act at work as Ukraine pursues an end to the brutal war.
In addition to Merz and Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb & NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Collectively, they could join Zelensky on his upcoming visit. Their presence underscores the collaborative effort among European leaders to address the conflict in Ukraine and reach a sustainable peace agreement.
The debate over Donbas matters not only for Ukraine but carries enormous geopolitical consequences for Europe. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, recently spoke with Trump about various issues, including potentially Donbas, highlighting the ongoing dialogue between U.S. and European leaders regarding the war in Ukraine.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will join the Washington discussions as well. He emphasized the importance of Zelenskyy’s involvement in the peace process, stating, “While progress has been made, the next steps must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.”
Starmer praised Trump’s efforts towards achieving peace amidst the ongoing conflict, asserting, “President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.”
As world leaders meet for this critically important Round Table, the future of Donbas continues to hang in the balance. The area remains a principal sticking point in negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and Western European powers. The result of these negotiations might well decide the fate of Donbas. Farther afield in Europe, it could affect relations between the EU and Russia and China.
European leaders have made clear their alarm over Trump’s expected hard line on peace negotiations. They are concerned that conventional or traditional diplomacy, without proper upfront negotiations, would result in bad faith negotiations directly with Russia that yield terrible results for Ukraine. Zelenskyy has warned about the implications of rushing into peace talks without addressing critical issues first: “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.”
We believe the 2019 convening will be an extremely important infrastructure and knowledge sharing convening. This comes on the heels of Trump’s other recent tête-à-tête with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin—in Alaska. How these discussions play out has the potential to shape where this conflict goes next. Along the way, they have redefined generational politics—and may yet redefine international relations across Europe.