Summit with Putin set to top Trump's agenda this week as Ukraine war takes center stage

Russian forces currently occupy approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory stretching from the Russian border to Crimea - including regions vital to the country's economy, rich in minerals, industry, and home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

The summit comes as Russia's war grinds into its third year and fifth month, with Moscow showing little sign of abandoning its efforts to erode Ukraine's sovereignty and reassert the territorial influence of the former Soviet empire.

Over the weekend, several European leaders voiced support for Zelenskyy's push to attend this week's summit, amid growing concerns that Kyiv's long-term security could be negotiated without its direct involvement.

"The U.S. has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters on Sunday. "Any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security," she added.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also voiced support for Zelenskyy's attendance at the meeting and called the summit an opportunity to measure how serious Putin is about "bringing this terrible war to an end." 

Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their support and said that "the end of the war must be fair."

"I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations," he said.