U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday voiced hope for future trilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
The two leaders met in the Oval Office ahead of high-level talks with European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Trump said Washington would support European security guarantees for Ukraine and suggested that Putin might also be seeking a way out of the war.
“I think President Putin wants to find an answer too,” Trump said. “Within a week or two, we’ll know whether this horrible fighting will continue or if we can find a solution.”
The extraordinary gathering followed Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska on Friday, which ended without a ceasefire agreement.
Trump has since argued that the onus is on Zelenskyy to consider territorial concessions, noting that Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine.
European leaders, excluded from the Trump-Putin talks, arrived at the White House determined to safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and prevent broader Russian aggression — a rare show of unified diplomatic pressure.
Trump said he plans to speak again with Putin after completing discussions with Zelenskyy and European counterparts.
