The meeting between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from Europe, which will take place today at the White House, is a leading topic in Western publications this morning, BTA writes.
The British newspaper "The Guardian" commented that European diplomats aim to "avoid a repeat of Zelensky's public humiliation during his last visit to the White House in February, when Trump and US Vice President J.D. Vance accused him of ingratitude and disrespect". The publication adds that Zelensky also faces the difficult task of repairing "the damage done to Ukraine's security prospects by Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska on Friday."
"The Guardian" quotes Brett Bruen, a former White House director for global cooperation, as saying that European leaders should focus on the economy and use the White House meeting "as an opportunity to remind Trump how small the Russian economy is compared to that of the EU, Britain and other Western partners".
Another British newspaper – The Telegraph writes that the decision of European leaders to fly to Washington is also a sign of concern.
"The fact that Europe's most prominent political leaders have changed their summer plans and gathered together, spending many hours traveling, highlights the sense of uncertainty and fear," the publication writes.
Like other publications, the Telegraph refers to Zelensky's last visit to the Oval Office in February in the hope that the upcoming meeting will be more successful. The newspaper recalls that only a day before this meeting, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Trump. The publication specifies that the British leader had been preparing for weeks to find a balance between stroking Trump's ego and defending important topics for discussion for Britain.
Given the big difference in the course of the two meetings since February, "behind the scenes, British ministers and officials have been making targeted attempts to teach the Ukrainian leader how to "speak Trump's language", the newspaper writes. It adds that "it is striking that Zelensky now often begins conversations with his American colleagues with gratitude for the US's support in countering Russia - in a sign of respect for Vance's request".
The American newspaper "Washington Post" draws attention to the fact that the US is ready to give Ukraine security guarantees at today's meeting between Trump and Zelensky. However, the publication said, "working out the exact security guarantees will likely be a long process, which could allow Putin to continue the war while the details are being worked out."
A Ukrainian official told the Washington Post that it would be impossible for Zelensky to agree to any deal that would force him to cede Donbas. However, Mykola Bieliskov, a researcher at the Ukrainian Institute for Strategic Studies, said that "unfortunately, there is a real risk" of a repeat of the scene from earlier this year. "It seems that Putin managed to convince Trump in Alaska that Ukraine must make big concessions for peace," he added.
The New York Times reported that a senior European diplomat described to the publication the panic among European allies. The diplomat said he had not seen a meeting like this organized so quickly since before the Iraq war. He also said the biggest fear was a repeat of the February scene.
"The New York Times" pointed out that "Europeans will have to find a way to convince Trump to commit to concrete guarantees for Ukraine's security, which could include a peacekeeping force to deter Putin from renewing the war in a few years".
The Wall Street Journal writes that almost six months ago, the Ukrainian president was "asked to leave the White House after a confrontation with President Trump over "real security guarantees" that the Ukrainian leader insisted were needed for a peace deal with Russia.
"When Zelensky returns to the Oval Office today, the differences over security guarantees will be smaller, but the gap over Moscow's territorial claims will remain," the publication commented. It added that this presents Zelensky with a dilemma: how to maintain Trump's support while at the same time responding to Russian territorial proposals that he feels obliged to reject.
The European edition of the magazine "Politico" quoted diplomats as saying that they expect European leaders to accompany Zelensky in an effort to ensure that "key red lines are not crossed and that Ukraine is not forced against its will to give up territory to make a deal."
The magazine points out that the US president's publication last night, in which he assigned Ukraine the responsibility to end the war with Russia, has set a potentially tense tone for today's talks.
"This is a stark contrast to the red carpet he rolled out days earlier for Russian leader Vladimir Putin," the publication commented.
The British newspaper "Financial Times" writes that according to a senior Ukrainian official close to the president, Zelensky's goal at the meeting will be to establish a "productive process for achieving peace, without forcing Ukraine to take impossible steps, such as withdrawing troops" from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
According to him, to this end, the Ukrainian president is ready to make an "acceptable compromise" along the current front line, which Ukrainians could agree to.
On the other hand, the publication also quotes Kostyantyn Elisiev, foreign policy advisor to Zelensky's predecessor Petro Poroshenko, who says that Zelensky should "avoid emotions" and even take an example from Putin's "cold-blooded pragmatism", taking into account the interests and goals of the American president.