Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky seemed poised for a peace summit following swift talks on Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders, which concentrated on the crucial issue of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
Hopes for a breakthrough increased after Trump stated he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin, whom he met in Alaska last week after a “very good” meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.
This would mark the first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders since Moscow’s brutal invasion nearly three and a half years ago, as Trump strives to fulfill his promise to swiftly end the war.
Trump, 79, wrote on his Truth Social network that “everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.”
“At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump said.
Trump mentioned he would then hold a three-way summit with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Putin had agreed to the bilateral meeting within the next two weeks, although no date or location was confirmed.
Zelensky confirmed to reporters outside the White House he was “ready” for a bilateral meeting with adversary Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine has caused tens of thousands of deaths.
In Moscow, a Kremlin aide indicated that Putin was open to the “idea” of direct talks with Ukraine.
The Ukraine war has reached a virtual stalemate despite a few recent Russian advances, but Trump’s summit with Putin last Friday failed to yield any ceasefire.
Zelensky then hurried to the White House to meet with Trump after the US president increasingly pushed the Ukrainian leader to make concessions to Russia.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission, and NATO announced they would attend too, in a clear show of support.
Zelensky also had a one-on-one meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, their first encounter in the core of the US presidency since their heated disagreement there in February.
The Ukrainian president described the meeting as their “best” yet, with little of the tension that surfaced when Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized him in front of TV cameras for not being “grateful” for US support.
Trump even complimented Zelensky on his black jacket, after the Ukrainian was criticized by right-wing media for not changing his trademark war-leader’s outfit for a suit during the February visit.
The US president, meanwhile, said he discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, adding that Putin had agreed to them despite rejecting Kyiv’s long-held aspiration of joining the NATO alliance.
Trump stated the guarantees “would be provided by the various European Countries, with coordination with the United States of America.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters at the White House it was a “very successful meeting” with “the president really breaking the deadlock.”
“Today was really about security guarantees, the US getting more involved there, and all the details to be hammered out over the coming days,” he said.
The Financial Times, citing a document seen by the newspaper, reported that Ukraine had committed to purchasing $100 billion of US weapons financed by Europe in exchange for US security guarantees.
Zelensky later spoke to reporters about a $90 billion package, saying Ukraine and its allies would formalize the terms of the security guarantees within 10 days.
The presence of European leaders, however, also highlighted ongoing concerns about whether Trump would pivot towards Putin, as he has on several occasions.
Trump had pressured Ukraine ahead of the meeting to relinquish Crimea and abandon its goal of joining NATO, both key demands made by Putin.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Monday for increasing sanctions against Russia if Putin does not advance on peace with Ukraine.
Finnish President Alex Stubb stated that Putin was not “to be trusted.”
Germany’s Merz, meanwhile, said Ukraine should not be forced to surrender its Donbas region to Russia in talks.
“The Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbas corresponds, to put it bluntly, to a proposal for the United States to have to give up Florida,” Merz told reporters.
