Zelensky to face tough White House talks on territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can expect a “difficult” meeting with US leader Donald Trump in the White House as the parameters of a peace deal are not all in Kyiv’s favor, an expert said.

“He’s been told in no uncertain terms by Trump… that he is going to have to accept that the territory that’s been lost is mostly lost for the long term,” Robert English, Director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California, told CNN’s Polo Sandoval.

English said “any illusions of getting back Crimea and much of the Donbas are over.”

“There’s behind the scenes, a clear understanding that that bitter pill Zelensky will have to swallow. And now we need to focus on security guarantees for Ukraine going forward and make those robust.”

A delegation of European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Britian’s Keir Starmer and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen, will join Zelensky in Washington, DC, in a coordinated effort to support Kyiv and shape the future of Western support for Ukraine.

“The very fact that they’re all there together and trying to reach a common understanding is critical,” English said, but highlighted that the focus in the multilateral talks would likely be on crafting long-term security arrangements for Ukraine without formal membership in NATO.

“As long as they are providing troops and promises to come to Ukraine’s aid, and the US Is providing supplies, intelligence, logistics that all together, especially if there’s a kind of an agreement, a treaty that could last years and be renewed indefinitely, that’s pretty close to NATO-like protection and gives Ukraine what it hasn’t had up until now.”

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