The leaders of the European Union are not travelling to Washington to prevent the humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with CBS on Sunday. (updated at 02.38 p.m.)
EU delegation visits Washington
Rubio was responding to a question from journalists who reminded the head of the State Department of the spat between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in February.
“‘This is such a stupid media narrative that (European leaders) are coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal. We’ve been working with these people for weeks… We invited them to come,” Rubio emphasised.
If the US imposes new sanctions against Russia, it will mean that the US has failed to resolve the conflict through peaceful negotiations, Rubio also noted.
He believes that new restrictions will not force Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
“I hope not (that the US will not impose sanctions), because that would mean that the peace talks have failed. But in this particular case, we must use all opportunities to achieve peace,” Rubio said.
No fresh sanctions?
The day before, US President Donald Trump said that he does not plan to impose sanctions against Russia yet, as the meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska went well. The White House confirmed that Trump does not want to impose new sanctions against Russia, as diplomacy is his priority.
French President Emmanuel Macron is also flying to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump and Zelensky, AFP reported, citing information from the Elysée Palace.
“The president will travel to Washington tomorrow with Zelensky and a number of European leaders to continue coordinating efforts between Europe and the US to achieve a just and lasting peace that will secure Ukraine’s vital interests and Europe’s security,” the agency quoted a statement from the French president’s office as saying.
The NATO press service also announced that the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, will take part in a video conference in Brussels with Zelensky and the leaders of the countries that make up the “coalition of the willing.” The event was initiated by Macron and will include the leaders of Germany and the UK. NATO headquarters also noted that after the conference, the secretary general will travel to the US for a meeting between Trump and Zelensky.
Importance of European support
On Sunday morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she would travel to Washington with Ukrainian president to meet with Donald Trump on Monday, “together with other European leaders.”
“At the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders at the White House tomorrow,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
In the afternoon, a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and von der Leyen took place in Brussels. Following the meeting, both spoke at a press conference.
Zelensky once again emphasised the importance of European support and the fact that Ukraine is speaking to America together with the Europeans. It is also important that Washington supports Ukraine, and the allies will decide in several formats what exactly to discuss in Washington, he noted.
Zelensky noted that real negotiations are needed, which can begin where the front line is currently located. These issues should only be discussed at a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the US, but Moscow “has not yet given any signals that a trilateral meeting will take place.” “If Russia refuses, new sanctions must follow,” he said.
Guarantees for Ukraine
Zelensky also mentioned security guarantees for Ukraine, which President Trump spoke about after the meeting in Alaska, but, according to him, it is not yet clear how this could work.
“We need guarantees that work in practice — just like Article 5 of the NATO Charter,” he said. Ukraine’s membership in the EU will also be part of the security guarantees.
Von der Leyen, in turn, welcomed the US president’s willingness to participate in providing Ukraine with enhanced guarantees under NATO’s Article 5. She also reiterated that international borders cannot be changed by force. “These decisions can be made by Ukraine — and no one else but Ukraine. And these decisions cannot be made without Ukraine at the negotiating table.”
Von der Leyen also added that Europe would continue to exert sanctions pressure on Russia as long as the bloodshed continued.
Zelensky arrived in Washington on the morning of August 18. First, he is scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Donald Trump, after which the leaders of European countries and international organisations will join the discussion of the results.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented on the visit of European leaders to Washington:
“Kyiv and its allies are discussing the terms of a peace agreement… Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, whose presence, given that she is not a head of state, is not a given, are heading to Washington: is it to strengthen the prospects for peace, or to put the logic of confrontation back on the agenda?”
Dupont-Aignan also added:
“Tonight, Europe has stepped out of history, paying dearly for its blindness and partiality in the Ukrainian conflict. Faced with Trump and Putin, who want to build peace together and deepen cooperation in all areas, France must urgently return to an INDEPENDENT foreign policy and FREE itself from the suicidal European Union.”
