In Europe, it is expected that Trump will pressure Zelensky to accept Putin’s terms at the White House

European politicians expect that during today’s White House meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump will pressure Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s condition of withdrawing Ukraine’s Defense Forces from Donbas as part of a conflict settlement.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing its sources.

European officials said Zelensky’s main task will be to convince Trump that there are other, better ways to end the war quickly than the ultimatum put forward by the Kremlin. If Zelensky simply rejects Putin’s demands, “the resulting deadlock could lead to new tensions between Trump and Zelensky,” as happened in February.

In private, European officials admit that Ukraine will not regain all of its territory, but insist that Russia’s occupation of parts of it must be reduced as much as possible and never legally recognized as Russian territory.

The same was reported by Bloomberg. According to its article, Zelensky found himself in a “no-win situation” on the eve of his White House meeting with Trump: “Risk Trump’s wrath by refusing — or accept a quick agreement to end the war, paying the catastrophic price of territorial concessions in exchange for uncertain security guarantees, which in a few years could allow Moscow to grow stronger again.”

Bloomberg noted that after the Alaska summit, which did not lead to a ceasefire, Trump “left Zelensky with virtually no room to maneuver.”

According to the outlet’s source, beyond avoiding another quarrel and keeping Trump interested in a deal, Zelensky’s goals at the talks are to learn more about Putin’s demands, determine the timing of a trilateral meeting, and push the U.S. toward tougher sanctions against Russia.

Europeans will also “seek clarity from Trump” on exactly what kind of security guarantees the United States is ready to provide.

Furthermore, the Washington talks will be “crucial for Zelensky in domestic politics,” Bloomberg wrote, recalling the recent protests over the situation with NABU.

Another outlet — CNN — also covered Zelensky’s visit, citing Robert English, director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California.

According to the expert, Zelensky will have to swallow the “bitter pill” of territorial concessions, and today’s meeting with Trump will be “difficult,” since not all parameters of a peace deal favor Kyiv.

“Trump has made it clear that Zelensky will have to accept that lost territory is mostly lost for good. Any illusions about regaining Crimea or most of Donbas have been dispelled. Behind the scenes there is a clear understanding that Zelensky will have to swallow this bitter pill. Now the focus must be on security guarantees for Ukraine’s future — and on making them reliable,” English said.

In his view, Ukraine may be granted security guarantees similar to NATO membership.

“As long as they (Europeans) provide troops and pledges to come to Ukraine’s aid, while the U.S. supplies arms, intelligence, logistics — all of this together, especially if an agreement is reached that can last for years and be extended indefinitely — is already quite close to NATO-style protection and gives Ukraine something it has never had before,” English argued.

Earlier, German journalists had also noted the possibility of a new quarrel between Zelensky and Trump during the White House talks.