The Washington Post — War Coverage

Europe, sidelined by U.S. and Russia, seeks influence in Ukraine talks As the Trump administration moves toward direct talks with Russian officials over the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has called European leaders to an emergency meeting to discuss how they might influence the talks. Leaders will meet in Paris on Monday as they scramble for a role in negotiations that could determine the future of Ukraine and of Europe’s security landscape — and that are advancing quickly without them. President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and U.S. plans to hold talks with Russian officials this week, have fueled European concerns that their defense interests will be sidelined. Read the full story here.

Top Russian and U.S. officials to meet in Riyadh over Ukraine war Top U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, officials said, as Washington and Moscow race to advance President Donald Trump’s bid to broker an end to the conflict and, potentially, conclude a long period of frigid relations. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will lead Russia’s delegation for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top American officials, said the time had come for the United States and Russia to put an “absolutely abnormal period” of estrangement behind them. “We want to listen to our partners,” Lavrov told reporters Monday in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks in Saudi Arabia would lay the groundwork for a planned summit between Trump and President Vladimir Putin. Read the full story here.

Europeans plan for troops to back Ukraine ceasefire — but want U.S. support As European leaders strategize on sending troops to Ukraine under a ceasefire deal, they are also sounding out the Trump team about what kind of U.S. military support they would get. Washington is seeking answers, too, on the weaponry and forces European countries could commit. Ukraine’s European backers are scrambling for a role in the negotiations to end the conflict from which they have been excluded even as the talks could reshape the continent’s security landscape. The prospect of troops in Ukraine has gained traction among European leaders as the Trump administration moves fast toward direct negotiations with Moscow, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Read the full story here.