When Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies meet Donald Trump in Washington, a huge amount is at stake.
Ukrainian officials are reported to feel betrayed by the US president, who appears to have shifted position to side with Vladimir Putin on a number of key points in the wake of the meeting with him in Alaska.
Trump has undermined the unity of the Western alliance by abandoning their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
He is no longer threatening more severe sanctions, and more worryingly still he seems open to the idea of making the Ukrainians hand over territory the Russians have not yet captured.
He and his real estate lawyer turned rookie negotiator Steve Witkoff seem to believe the conflict can be resolved by an exchange of territory. Putin on the other hand has made it clear he is fighting to extinguish Ukraine as an independent and democratic entity.
Read more:
Putin has ‘agreed NATO-style security guarantee’
How a chaotic 24 hours unfolded
Why is Zelenskyy bringing posse of leaders to talks?
Ukrainians say that for Zelenskyy, handing over land his troops have been fighting to defend since 2014 would be politically suicidal and strategically insane.
Sergeant Andriy Poluhin, from the Ukrainian 24th Brigade, has fought the Russians in Donetsk on and off since 2015 and is currently based in the fiercely embattled town of Chasiv Yar.
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
He’s typical of many Ukrainians, appalled at the idea his country would have to hand over land so many of their comrades have died fighting for.
Putin’s claim that he wants to end the war and stop the killing, he says, is self-evidently false.
“It’s a lie, it’s obviously a lie. I think it’s not only my thoughts or Ukrainian ones, but everyone who deals with Russia understands he just lies,” he says.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Many would agree – except the US president himself, who says he believes the Russian leader wants the killing to end.
The challenge for Zelenskyy and his European outriders when they go to the White House is avoiding a repeat of the disastrous Oval Office encounter between him and Trump and his vice president in February.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
They need to steer Trump back to their side of the argument without angering the famously thin-skinned president and driving him further towards Moscow.
The unity of the alliance against Putin has never been so threatened.
