Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other European leaders visited President Trump at the White House today, following Friday’s summit between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Today’s meetings went much more smoothly than Zelensky’s last White House visit, back in February, which famously devolved into a fiery clash in front of the television cameras. (Zelensky wore a suit this time and thanked Trump early and often, avoiding the landmines that helped lead to the blowup last time.)
Both Trump and Zelensky said they hoped that today’s talks could lead to trilateral negotiations involving Putin.
“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote in a social media post Monday evening. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
Earlier, Trump was caught on a hot mic telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Putin may want to strike an agreement. “I think he wants to make a deal for me. You understand that? As crazy as it sounds,” he said.
Before Monday’s meetings, Trump put added pressure on Zelensky with a Sunday night post that said Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Trump seemed to suggest that Ukraine should concede that it won’t join NATO and that Crimea will stay part of Russia.
But Monday’s talks focused more on the security guarantees that Ukraine insists it must have before it agrees to a peace deal. And the friendly tone of the discussions, the simple fact that the meeting took place at all and the group photo of the leaders standing together — Trump and Zelensky flanked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte — all served to deliver a message to Putin and, perhaps, to allay some fears that Trump was aligning himself with Moscow and backing the Russian leader’s terms for ending the war.
“I’m optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine,” Trump said. “I think that the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden. We’re going to help them, and we’re going to make it very secure.”
Trump did not offer specifics about how any security guarantees might be structured or what role the United States would play, though he did not rule out involving American troops.