Zelenskyy and European leaders meet Trump in Washington for Ukraine talks

The Ukrainian leader was the first to arrive for bilateral discussions with Trump before the two were joined by European counterparts, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Following the meetings, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

“During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America,” Trump wrote, adding that preparations were underway for a bilateral Putin–Zelenskyy meeting at a location yet to be determined.

Trump indicated that such talks could later expand into a trilateral format involving himself. “I don’t think you need ceasefire. You know, if you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war,” the U.S. President told reporters, while emphasizing that Europe was the “first line of defence,” but that Washington “will be involved” in providing guarantees.

Zelenskyy, speaking outside the White House, said he had received “important signals” from the U.S. and Europe.

“All this will be formalized on paper within 7–10 days,” he said. According to the Ukrainian president, the guarantees include military aid, allied commitments, and support for Ukraine’s defence industry.

He confirmed his readiness for a bilateral meeting with Putin, noting: “I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me — that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described the day’s talks as “very successful,” announcing that leaders would continue consultations virtually in the coming days.

German Chancellor Merz stressed that a ceasefire remained essential. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire. So, let’s work on that and try to put pressure on Russia,” he said.

European leaders also underlined their own security concerns. Macron noted, “When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent.”

Earlier, it was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House.