Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House on Monday for a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump.
Seated in the Oval Office next to Zelenskyy, Trump expressed his fervent desire to see an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, and his optimism for a peace deal.
“I think progress is being made, very substantial progress in many ways,” he said.
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy comes just three days after Trump conferred Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting ended without a deal, but Trump said after the meeting he thought a deal to end the war could be reached quickly.
Reports indicate Putin is demanding Ukraine give up its Donbas region to Russia in exchange for an end to the war and security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy has opposed ceding any Ukrainian territory to Russia.
Trump was in touch with Zelenskyy and European leaders following the meeting with Putin, talking on the phone with them during his flight back to Washington.
In June, NATO member countries agreed to spend at least 5% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035, and many of those NATO leaders were at the White House alongside Zelenskyy on Monday.
Zelenskyy was accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Zelenskyy’s return to the White House on Monday comes about six months after his first visit ended with sparks flying between him and Trump. The tone between Trump and Zelenskyy was strikingly different from the contentious meeting the two men had in February.
1. Trilateral Meeting
If the meeting with Zelenskyy and the European leaders goes well today, Trump said, the next step is likely to be a “trilateral”—referring to a meeting featuring Zelenskyy, Putin, and himself.
“There will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” Trump said.
Asked whether a lack of a deal today would mean the end of U.S. support for Ukraine, he said he would not say that.
“People are being killed, and we want to stop that, so I would not say it’s the end of the road,” Trump said.
The U.S. president said he wants a long-term peace agreement, adding, “We’re going to make sure it works.”
Europe is the first line of defense, he noted, but “we’ll be involved.”
Trump said he will have a call with Putin on Monday following his meeting with Zelenskyy and the European leaders.
2. ‘Lasting Peace’
“The war is going to end,” Trump said, later adding the peace deal between the two countries will be one designed for “lasting peace.”
“When it ends, I can’t tell you; but the war is going to end,” he said.
“This gentleman wants it to end,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy. “Vladimir Putin wants it to end. I think the whole world is tired of it.”
Trump said he has helped to end six conflicts since returning to office and “thought maybe this would be the easiest one, and it’s not the easiest one. It’s a tough one.”
3. Postwar Election in Ukraine
Asked if he is open to holding an election in Ukraine following a peace agreement, Zelenskyy said he was.
“Of course, we are open [to an] election, yes,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelenskyy said the circumstances must be safe to hold elections, adding, “We need a truce, yes—everywhere on the battlefield, the sky, the sea—to make it possible.”
The Ukrainian has drawn criticism for postponing presidential elections in Ukraine during the war.
4. ‘I Don’t Think You Need a Ceasefire’
“I don’t think you need a ceasefire,” Trump said, adding, however, that one might be necessary in this case, even though a ceasefire gives nations time to rebuild militarily.
“I like the concept of a ceasefire … You stop killing immediately, as opposed to two weeks or whatever it takes,” he said.
“I wish they could stop fighting,” the president continued. “I would like them to stop, but strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”
Trump noted that the other peace deals he has helped to negotiate, such as the one between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, have been just that—peace deals and not ceasefires, and he would like to see the same for Russia and Ukraine.
5. Article 5-Type Protections for Ukraine
Following reports that Putin is willing to agree to NATO Article 5-type security protections for Ukraine as part of a peace plan, Trump said nothing has been formally decided in that regard.
“If you look back, and you go back long before President Putin, it was always a statement that they would never allow Ukraine into NATO,” Trump said, adding that Article 5 protections would be discussed with the European leaders at the White House on Monday. Article 5 guarantees protections for NATO member countries, stating that an attack on one NATO ally is considered an attack against all NATO members.
Europe wants to help give Ukraine protection, and “we’ll help them out with that,” Trump said.
