European ‘coalition of the willing’ forms united front as Trump pushes Putin-Zelenskyy summit

European leaders in a “coalition of the willing” are rushing to show unity before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Washington Monday. 

The push comes after Axios first reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from two eastern regions during his Friday summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska. 

Trump is now pressing for a three-way summit with Putin and Zelenskyy “fast,” possibly as early as Aug. 22.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet virtually Sunday. 

SUMMIT WITH PUTIN SET TO TOP TRUMP’S AGENDA THIS WEEK AS UKRAINE WAR TAKES CENTER STAGE

President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/The Associated Press)

The “coalition of the willing” aims to form a singular front before Zelenskyy faces Trump. In their Aug. 13 joint statement, Macron, Starmer and Merz said the coalition would “reject territorial concessions under force” and push for binding security guarantees for Ukraine.

Axios reported Putin’s terms would shift far more land to Russia than Ukraine would gain. He also floated China as a possible guarantor, a move that would push NATO aside. European nations see that as a direct challenge to their security system.

President Trump said European leaders are looking to him to drive results. 

“There are a lot of European leaders, but they rely on me — very much rely on me. If it wasn’t for me, this thing would never get solved until the last person breathing is dead,” Trump said at a press briefing last week.

ZELENSKYY THANKS NATO, EUROPEAN LEADERS FOR BACKING HIS PUSH TO JOIN TRUMP‑PUTIN SUMMIT

President Zelenskyy will meet with President Donald Trump Monday after a summit with President Putin in Alaska Friday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

For Zelenskyy, the stakes are high. He’ll arrive in Washington on Monday as President Trump takes the lead in pushing for a settlement. European leaders believe their coalition can give Zelenskyy added support as he enters the talks. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Starmer and Macron are two chiefs of state partners in the European “coalition of the willing” in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War. (Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)

Trump has told Zelenskyy and other leaders he wants to move quickly toward a three-way meeting with Putin as early as Aug. 22, according to reporting from Axios. The goal, he has said, is to get all sides in the same room and test whether a breakthrough is possible. Such a summit would mark the first direct encounter between the three men since the war began.

The phrase “coalition of the willing” once described the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Today, Europe is using it to block any peace deal that redraws Ukraine’s borders by force. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sunday’s meeting, Zelenskyy’s White House talks Monday and Trump’s push for a three-way summit will show whether Europe’s coalition has real influence or if Washington and Moscow set terms alone.

The offices of President Macron, Prime Minister Starmer and Chancellor Merz did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.