Gavin Grey: UK correspondent ahead of Zelenskyy's meeting at the White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's gearing up for his second meeting at the White house, but he won't be carrying this out alone.  

The leaders of the UK, France and Germany and the European Commission will be joining Zelenskyy to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey spoke ahead of the meeting, and weighed up multiple possible outcomes.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devin Gray, UK, corresponding with us, Now, hey, Gevin, either
header right, well, speaking of wars, do we expect anything
to come out of this meeting? Like, are we actually
going to have something solid out of the White House overnight?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I don't think so personally. But look, this is all,
you know, all complete projection of what we think is
going to happen. But there is a long list of
European leaders going to this meeting. In fact, it's almost
quicker to tell you who isn't going. But among those
who are are the European Commission President Ursula Vondla and
the UK Prime Minister, the French President, the leader of Germany,

(00:33):
the leader of Italy, all heading along along with NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutter. Interesting that in the last few
hours Donald Trump's saying that you know, it's down to Zelenski.
If he wants peace, he can get it today sort
of thing. And I have this strong suspicion that the
Europeans have been invited almost as a sort of potential
blame game, that if nothing comes around, that the Europeans

(00:57):
will be told that they've been blamed for this because
they demanding too much out of Russia and Donald Trump
was saying with AOI you get on with it. That's
one theory they could be there, of course to a
company and to make sure that President Zelenski doesn't get
ambushed or hijacked again in the White House has happened
of course last time he was there. But you know,

(01:18):
there's optimism as well. Perhaps genuinely they really do think
with this security guarantee, that's what they could work on
with Donald Trump for the future of Ukraine once piece
has been established. There's a lot at stake here, and
I think the world will be hanging on for the
result of the meeting. But as I said, I think
people are beginning to think this is early steps rather
than big decisions.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, totally. Now what are we seeing, you know, the
plan that has emerged as having come out of that
Aleska meeting, basically Pusan's demands. Do we see that as
Putin's opening gambit or is that kind of what we
have to work with.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
No. I think that's a sort of an opening gambit
at least, that's the hope quite simply because there's Russia
wants the claimed territory in Ukraine that it doesn't even
occupy as yet. So there's an argument you might say, well,
that's what they've managed to win, you know, in the
violence of this war, so let them keep that for

(02:12):
the sake of peace. But they're also after areas of
the Dombas, the eastern regions, the eastern sort of states
as it were, that they also want the whole of
and they don't currently occupy that. There are even reports
of what have been described as suicide squads, so just
two or three Russians going beyond and into Ukrainian territory,

(02:32):
into enemy lines as it were for them, and painting
and planting Russian flags everywhere, so that from satellite images
they're getting this idea that actually the Russian advances are
much greater than they actually are, something that I know
Ukraine has been saying, Look, this is they don't run
this bit, They've just stuck a flag there. So lots

(02:54):
of sort of different talk about what can be done today.
But as I said, the inclusion of the Europeans is
then that will delight the leaders. I'm not sure the
actual process of getting a negotiation will.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Kevin, thanks very much, really appreciate you time met. We'll
talk to you in a couple of days. It's Kevin Gray,
are UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
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