The mood at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday appeared quite different from the debacle earlier this year when US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the cameras. On Monday, Zelenskyy walked into the Oval Office in a crisp navy suit, not his trademark olive fatigues, and handed Trump a personal letter from his wife, Olena, to First Lady Melania Trump. The letter, thanking her for raising the plight of Ukraine's abducted children with Putin, seemed to set a more diplomatic tone. European leaders were determined to support him. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among those who made the trip to Washington on short notice. They sat in a protective semicircle around Zelenskyy, keen to ensure that another Oval Office humiliation was avoided and that the trans-Atlantic alliance held. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and France's President Emmanuel Macron participate in a meeting with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and France's President Emmanuel Macron participate in a meeting with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Many European leaders came to support Zelenskyy in WashingtonImage: Alex Brandon/AP Photo/picture alliance "This was a meeting where Europeans had the chance to show their unity and determination," said Almut Möller, Director of European and Global Affairs at the European Policy Centre, to DW. "Europe is not powerless." Progress on security guarantees The European leaders' clearest goal of the White House talks was Trump's public endorsement of security guarantees. The US president delivered; standing beside Zelenskyy, he pledged that the US would "coordinate" with Europe on protections for Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described them as "Article 5-type guarantees" without NATO membership. Article 5 is the alliance's mutual defense clause, stating that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all. That reassurance mattered in Europe, as fear had risen that Trump might again lean towards Russia after he met President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Yet the details of the security guarantees remain undefined. Trump equally pushed back on Europe's call for a ceasefire as a starting point. No unacceptable decisions were made: Volodymyr Zelenskyy