Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen, in a post on X, announced that she will be meeting US President Donald Trump, along with other European heads, at the White House on Monday at the proposal of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Ukrainian president is scheduled to travel to Washington on Monday for discussions with US President Donald Trump. This comes after a summit in Alaska on Friday, where Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to agree on ending the Ukraine conflict.
“This afternoon, I will welcome Zelensky in Brussels,”
von der Leyen said in a post.
This afternoon, I will welcome @ZelenskyyUa in Brussels.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 17, 2025
Together, we will participate in the Coalition of Willing VTC.
At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow.
“Together, we will participate in the Coalition of Willing. At the request of President Zelensky, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow,”
she adds.
Von der Leyen also stated that she will host Zelensky in Brussels later on Sunday, where they will jointly take part in a gathering of European leaders.
Which European leaders are expected to join the White House meeting?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed his attendance and will be heading to Washington, DC on Monday to join discussions between Zelensky and Trump. A European official told CNN that NATO Chief Mark Rutte and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb are also expected to attend the meeting. French President Macron is also expected to join the talks.
Why is the coalition of the willing meeting again?
Moreover, the “coalition of the willing,” Kyiv’s major European partners, will also gather today, ahead of Zelensky’s White House session on Monday.
The Élysée Palace announced that the European gathering will be co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It will take place via video conference starting at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET), according to the French Presidency.
This will be the coalition’s second meeting within a week, established earlier this year to offer Ukraine security assurances in case of a ceasefire.
When did Trump and Von der Leyen last meet?
The last meeting between Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and U.S. President Donald Trump took place in July 2025. The meeting occurred at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, with the two leaders engaged in high-stakes trade discussions to avert a new transatlantic trade war.
The leaders were able to discuss tariffs and trade relations and arrived at a substantial trade deal that would lower the European goods entering the U.S. from a proposed 30% tariff to 15%.
