Presidents, PMs and heads of Nato and European Commission to accompany Ukraine’s leader at White House
Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates
European leaders arrive in Washington on Monday before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, in a show of support for the Ukrainian president. It comes amid expectations that Trump will try to bully Zelenskyy into accepting a pro-Russia “peace plan” that would include Kyiv handing territory to Moscow. The Europeans have been described as Zelenskyy’s “bodyguards”, with memories fresh of the mauling he received in February during his last Oval Office visit. So, who are they?
Secretary general of Nato
Rutte has a proven record of flattering Trump for strategic purposes, by using language some allies find cringe-making. In June he referred to the capricious US president as “Daddy” in an attempt to avoid disastrous outbursts at the Nato summit. Rutte has repeatedly praised Trump in public, including in a recent interview on Fox News, and credits him for pushing Nato members to spend 3.5% of their GDP on defence. The US has carried the burden of European security for “too long”, Rutte has said – music to Trump’s ears.
