JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office, things got heated as President Trump loudly berated him.

But when he returns tomorrow, he'll have reinforcements.

At least a half dozen European leaders will join him in a high profile display of unity.

After meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Mr. Trump aligned himself with Russian positions that triggered European fears that Ukraine could be pressured into accepting a deal on Moscow's terms.

Today, Zelenskyy was in Brussels meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President, European Commission: Since the beginning of Russia's brutal invasion, Europe has been at Ukraine's side united.

And we will support you for as long as it takes for just and lasting peace.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President: It's very important that you are with us and that we speak to America.

And we speak together.

JOHN YANG: To look ahead tomorrow's meeting, William Taylor, he's a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center.

He's a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and was temporary head of mission there the first Trump term, later testifying in Mr. Trump's impeachment.

Mr.

Ambassador, this is going to be a remarkable scene in the Oval Office tomorrow.

You've got heads of state flying to Washington on a moment's notice to support Zelenskyy.

How unusual is this?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, Former U.S. Ambassasdor to Ukraine: It's very unusual, John.

You're exactly right.

This is a measure.

This is a demonstration of how strongly the Europeans feel about Ukraine.

And how about supporting Zelenskyy.

They got together.

We remember last Wednesday on a telephone, on a Zoom call, the same group with Zelenskyy and Trump and that group, a group of European leaders, and they all agreed on what the approach would be in Anchorage.

They agreed to focus on a cease fire that seemed to have come apart in Anchorage.

JOHN YANG: Do you think this meeting could put it back together?

Can, can Trump be persuaded?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: Surely.

Surely he can.

It is possible that he can.

And the Europeans, among the Europeans are some Europeans who understand and work closely and are well trusted by President Trump.

So the answer, I think is yes.

JOHN YANG: And is there a danger that the president could feel ganged up on, that this could backfire?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: I understand actually, that the first part of the meeting will be President Trump and President Zelenskyy, and then they'll go into a broader meeting, maybe a lunch with all the rest of those, those Europeans, other Europeans, because Zelenskyy is one as well.

But so he'll have a one on one, Trump and Zelenskyy and then a broader discussion.

JOHN YANG: Administration officials are saying today that in Alaska, Putin agreed to the United States and Europe providing security for Ukraine, sort of a mini NATO.

How significant is that?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: Huge.

This is huge.

This is not something we've heard from the President Trump or from the administrative - - U.S. administration.

And it's so welcome, so necessary.

If there's to be a ceasefire, there needs to be some security guarantee for the Ukrainians so that they can be confident that if they do lay down their arms or stop firing, that the Russians won't invade again.

And that's what this force would do.

JOHN YANG: At the same time, Mr. Trump told European leaders that Putin does want territory in exchange for this.

What, what, how likely is that to happen?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: This can be -- this could be done if the Europeans and the Ukrainians will say, look, we acknowledge, we recognize that you Russians are in 19 percent of Ukraine.

We don't like it.

We'll never recognize your legal claim to that 19 percent, but we recognize you're there.

So in that regard, Putin will be able to stay in that 19 percent, at least temporarily.

The Ukrainians will never agree to a long term, a permanent loss of that territory.

They won't and they can't.

But they could acknowledge that the de facto, the Russians are there.

That might be enough to get a ceasefire.

JOHN YANG: What do you think is going to come out of tomorrow?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: Demonstration of unity.

I think it's very clear that the Europeans, including Zelenskyy, will be very together and they'll be focused on a cease fire and they'll be focused on that security guarantee that you raised.

They may also talk about, I hope they talk about this $300 billion of Russian money that's in European and American banks to be used to buy weapons from the United States firms, defense firms, for Ukraine to use and to reconstruct Ukraine once the cease fire goes into effect.

So there's a lot on the table, but the importance is they're unified and they can make the strong case to President Trump.

JOHN YANG: Do you think it creates a path to a deal?

WILLIAM TAYLOR: It could, it could.

There is a deal there.

There's a deal there.

Again, the Ukrainians never will give up legal claim to that territory, but they'll grudgingly accept that the Russians are there and they'll probably say they won't try to take back that 90 percent by force.

That could lead to - - that could lead to a ceasefire in place.

JOHN YANG: So it's sort of language, how you describe the Russian presence.

WILLIAM TAYLOR: It's how you describe the Russian presence.

But that makes a big difference.

That makes a, you know, the West Germans never gave up hope, claimed that East Germany would come back sometime, but they promised in order to get into NATO, they promised not to try to take East Germany back by force, by military force and they got into NATO and they finally got East Germany back.

JOHN YANG: Former Ambassador William Taylor, thank you very much.

WILLIAM TAYLOR: Thank you, John.