Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting: Russia-Ukraine Truce Soon? Three Scenarios That May Emerge

US President Donald Trump is all set to meet President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy who has arrived at the White House in Washington DC, supported by a coalition of European leaders. This meeting is more than just peace negotiations, because it might end up ensuring not only peace, but also on whose terms will there be peace in Ukraine.

Here is a look at the possible outcomes that may emerge from this meeting:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remained firm on his ground about not letting any Ukrainian territory be integrated with Russia. He has always declined any terms that suggest formal control of Russia over Crimea and other regions and steal Ukraine's sovereignty because he does not consider these terms to be up for negotiations.

While at the same time, the Ukrainian president seems to be open to enforceable, multilateral and NATO-style security guarantees.

Trump could be searching for a quick fix for the Russia-Ukraine war and would probably like to end it as quickly as possible to boost his image as the "peace maker".

He has signalled to have adopted a transactional approach, willing to accept big compromises on both ends. However, he put the weight of the outcome on Zelenskyy's capacity to accept the concessions.

"President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump posted on social media on Aug 17.

European Union leaders, who could be directly impacted by the outcome of the latest attempt at truce, could seek a greater say in the negotiations.

To demonstrate a unified front, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have all travelled to Washington DC.

They also want to ensure that the emerging settlement does not flout international law, and along with that does not give Moscow leeway to use military means to dictate terms.