It’s easy to see why Ukraine is hesitant to cede any territory for a peace agreement. I wouldn’t want to hand over the Kenai Peninsula to secure peace with Russia, nor give up Chicken for a peace treaty with Canada. However, following Friday’s Alaska Summit involving President Trump and President Putin, a framework for a potential peace accord seems to have emerged—one that could end the violence. It appears Putin is insisting on retaining not just Crimea, but also the Donbas region.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky is reiterating his condition that Ukraine won’t concede any land for peace. But that’s an option that just might not be on the table.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Sunday that it would be “impossible” for Kyiv to cede territory to Russia and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire.
Speaking from the European Commission headquarters in Brussels ahead of his planned sit-down with President Donald Trump in the United States on Monday, Zelensky appeared set to maintain his maximalist position towards the war with Russia, and seemingly shoot down officially recognising Moscow’s territorial gains in exchange for a peace agreement.
“Putin has many demands, but we do not know all of them. And if there are really as many as we heard, then it will take time to go through them all. It’s impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. So, it’s necessary to ceasefire and work quickly on a final deal,” the Ukrainian president said.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will also be in the White House meeting alongside President Zelensky on Monday, and she’s sending encouraging notes to the Ukrainian leader:
Great to have you here, dear @ZelenskyyUa.
We continue our cooperation to achieve a just peace that respects Ukraine & Europe’s vital security interests.
With the Coalition of the Willing in Brussels today, and in the White House with @POTUS tomorrow ↓ https://t.co/HF9Tj5TLgj
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 17, 2025
It appears a lot of Europe’s leaders are headed for Washington on Monday, although it’s unclear how many of them will be included in any meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky.
(Germany’s) Chancellor Merz is among the European leaders who said on Sunday that they intend to join Zelensky on his trip to Washington for talks with President Trump, perhaps out of concern of a potential re-run of the disastrous Oval Office meeting in February when Trump ejected Zelensky from the White House after a public confrontation.
Other leaders who will join the delegation will include British Prime Minister Starmer, French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Finnish President Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
That’s a lot of horsepower. What remains to be seen is how much other stuff associated with horses may be present.
