Ukraine’s future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings an extraordinary cadre of European leaders with him to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia.
The European political heavy-hitters were left out of with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Alaska, and they're looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from Moscow.
Monday’s showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible , as many of Europe’s leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine’s interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force.
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Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan
Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts to satisfy President Trump’s demands for a greater GOP advantage.
Democratic leaders say they’ll return for a second special legislative session after seeing California Democratic leaders proceed with plans to redraw their own U.S. House maps to neutralize Republican gains in Texas.
The nation’s two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.
Downtown DC on alert as Trump hosts Ukraine talks
With Zelenskyy and several European leaders in town for hastily arranged meetings, the area around the White House bulged with security.
A line of black SUVs stretched up 16th Street from Lafayette Park. Motorcycle cops stood by.
Some roads were blocked off by police and dump trucks, and there were extra checkpoints to screen people approaching the White House.
Pennsylvania Avenue, usually crammed with tourists taking pictures of the north side of the president’s residence, was vacant.
Trump calls for Hamas to be ‘confronted and destroyed’ for hostage return
The U.S. president says the remaining hostages held in the Israel-Gaza war will only be released “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!”
“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site Monday morning.
Zelenskyy calls latest Russian attacks ‘demonstrative and cynical’
“Everyone wants a just peace and true security. And at this very moment, the Russians are striking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Odesa, residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” he wrote.
Zelenskyy said the energy infrastructure object struck in Odesa belongs to an Azerbaijani company. “This is a blow to our relations (with Azerbaijan) and to energy independence.”
“The war must be brought to an end. And it is Moscow that must hear ‘stop,’” Zelenskyy said in conclusion.
Texas Republicans set to resume push Monday for redrawn US House maps
The redrawn district maps would carve out a bigger GOP advantage in the 2026 midterm elections after state Democrats to end a two-week walkout.
In response, California Democrats are also moving ahead with their own reshaping of congressional districts , putting in motion a potentially widening and unusually timed nationwide.
The redrawing began in Texas but has been stalled since dozens of Democrats, who are the minority in each chamber, left the state Aug. 3, with most of them going to Illinois. The absent lawmakers had signaled they were ready return to Austin after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ended a first special session and California moved forward with its own plan.
Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans’ narrow U.S. House majority to avoid losing control of the chamber.
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Europe’s security is also at stake in the talks
European leaders see Ukraine’s fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to in eastern Europe and beyond.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an “outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.”
“If we are weak with Russia today, we’ll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too.” Macron said Sunday.
The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Ukraine won’t surrender land to Russia
Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can’t cede Crimea either.
Instead, — which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine — seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept.
Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Trump’s schedule, according to the White House
— 12 p.m. ET: European leaders will arrive at the White House
— 1 p.m.: Trump will greet and meet with Zelenskyy
— 2:15 p.m.: Trump will greet European leaders
— 3 p.m.: Trump will meet with European leaders
Putin wants the Donbas
As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely.
In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 .
As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense pledge, according to a senior U.S. official.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff a “game-changing” step though he offered few details on how it would work.
Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again.
Trump previews executive order on voting
Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind.
He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”
When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said.
“He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.
Russia continued to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed six civilians late Sunday. Among the victims was a toddler and a 16-year-old, according to local officials. The strike also injured 20 people, including six children, authorities said.
Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region.
In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a total of four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed.
Trump’s pre-meeting warning to Zelenskyy
Ahead of Monday’s critical meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, Trump seemed to pressure the Ukrainian president to agree to concessions and suggested Ukraine could not regain Crimea.
Crimea was a part of Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote Sunday night on social media. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
Attendance list for Zelenskyy’s White House meeting includes major European leaders
Key European leaders are gathering at the White House for President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
They include:
-- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
-- French President Emmanuel Macron
-- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
-- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
-- Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni
-- Finnish President Alexander Stubb
-- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte
On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump’s team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack.
