BRUSSELS : European leaders are intensifying diplomatic efforts to secure a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following their unprecedented joint visit with Zelensky to the White House.

The so-called “coalition of the willing” is meeting virtually this week, co-chaired by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, before joining a wider video call led by European Council President António Costa.

The flurry of talks comes amid unease over Donald Trump’s approach to Moscow after his warm summit with Putin in Alaska. During his Washington talks with European leaders and Zelenskyy, Trump said Putin had signaled readiness to meet the Ukrainian leader in the coming weeks — a meeting that, if it happens, would be the first since Russia’s invasion began three and a half years ago.

Macron has floated Geneva as a possible venue, while a US official indicated Hungary was also under discussion. Moscow, however, has not confirmed the plan. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said only that Putin and Trump discussed “raising the level of representatives” in Ukraine talks, without clarifying whether that would mean a presidential summit.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added to the uncertainty, telling state television that any meeting between Putin and Zelensky would require “very thorough” preparation.

For now, Europe’s leaders are pressing ahead, hoping their united front will pressure Moscow — and Trump — to commit to a breakthrough in the stalled peace process.

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