President Donald Trump held a historic meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, five European leaders, and the heads of NATO and the EU to address the ongoing war in Ukraine.
It marked the first time so many European heads of government had gathered in Washington for talks of this scale. The summit was preceded by a one-hour Trump-Zelenskyy bilateral meeting. Trump also phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin for a 40-minute call to brief him on discussions and explore next steps, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media.
Trump said arrangements are underway for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy “at a location to be determined,” followed by trilateral talks with the U.S. He emphasized that negotiations on a peace deal do not require a ceasefire and suggested Moscow and Kyiv could discuss territorial exchanges. “During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which would be provided by European countries in coordination with the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are leading U.S. coordination. Trump expressed optimism that within “a week or two” it would be clear whether the conflict could be resolved.
Zelenskyy confirmed he was prepared to meet Putin directly and expected Trump to join afterward in trilateral talks. He also said Ukraine would raise “the issue of territories” with Russia, without insisting on a ceasefire first. He announced that security guarantees for Ukraine could be formalized within 7-10 days, covering weapons deliveries, allied commitments, and support for Ukraine’s defense industry. Kyiv also proposed a $90 billion U.S. weapons package, including aircraft and air defense systems, as part of these guarantees. On domestic politics, Zelenskyy - whose official term ended in May 2024 - told Trump he is open to elections in Ukraine, but only after the war ends.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Trump’s trilateral format and urged a broader four-party track with Europe while noting U.S. commitment to security guarantees. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the need for a ceasefire before deeper talks and called for more pressure on Russia. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s path to NATO is “irreversible” but not currently on the agenda, and pledged continued weapons supplies financed by Europe. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described trilateral talks as the next reasonable step, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised Trump for launching a new phase in peace efforts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised strong security guarantees jointly with the U.S., and Finnish President Alexander Stubb predicted details would be ready within a week.
The Washington Post noted Zelenskyy’s repeated public gratitude to Trump - thanking him “about 11 times” in four minutes - and observed that European leaders also praised the U.S. president throughout the summit.
