Ukraine Confirms Zelensky-Trump Meeting on NATO Sidelines This Wednesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

While Zelensky has played a key role at recent international forums amid the ongoing war with Russia, he has not been invited to the main working session of NATO leaders, largely due to his strained relationship with Trump. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, confirmed that preparations for the meeting were discussed on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“The United States reaffirmed its unwavering support for a ceasefire,” Yermak wrote on X, also noting the lack of progress in efforts to bring back Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia. According to the Ukrainian official, the meeting is scheduled for early Wednesday afternoon in the Netherlands, with final arrangements still underway.

Talks between the two leaders will focus primarily on Ukraine’s planned acquisition of a new defense package, which includes a significant expansion of air defense systems. Discussions will also cover additional sanctions on Russia and a proposal to lower the existing oil price cap on Russian exports—from $60 to $45 per barrel—in an effort to curtail Kremlin revenues.

Western allies have increasingly pushed for stricter economic measures against Moscow, but Trump has so far resisted calls to impose new sanctions, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject ceasefire efforts.