Washington: US President Donald Trump is pushing to arrange direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following a high-level meeting with European leaders at the White House.
Trump revealed he had spoken with Putin during Monday’s talks, with both Moscow and Kyiv signaling openness to a potential face-to-face meeting.
European leaders present at the summit including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed cautious optimism but emphasized that any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.
Discussions centered on security assurances for Ukraine, though territorial concessions were not on the table.
Zelensky confirmed he and Trump examined maps of Russian-occupied regions, while Trump suggested that deploying US troops to help enforce a peace deal remains a possibility.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC that negotiations on security guarantees will continue today, adding that a coalition of 30 allied nations is working with Washington on concrete measures.
Zelensky said a framework could be finalized within 10 days, including plans for Ukraine to buy $90 billion in US weapons through European funding.
Despite optimism, European leaders warned against misplaced trust in Putin. Macron expressed great doubts over the Kremlin’s sincerity, while Finland’s Alexander Stubb stressed that Russia’s strategic goals weakening Ukraine and dividing the West remain unchanged.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Putin had agreed in principle to meet Zelensky within two weeks but admitted doubts about whether the Russian leader would “have the courage” to attend.
Even as talks unfolded in Washington, Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since July, firing 270 drones and 10 missiles. Ukrainian officials reported at least eight deaths and more than 50 injuries, with strikes hitting Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Poltava. Power outages affected over 1,500 homes and nearly 120 businesses.
The meeting marked a stark contrast to their heated exchange in February. Zelensky, dressed in a smart black jacket and slacks, presented Trump with a golf club from a wounded Ukrainian soldier. Trump reciprocated by gifting him symbolic keys to the White House.
Both leaders also received letters from their spouses, with Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska thanking Melania Trump for her advocacy on behalf of abducted Ukrainian children an issue the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen said remains central to ending the humanitarian cost of the war.
Trump is working to stage a bilateral Putin-Zelensky summit, which could later expand to include US and European participation.
While the White House talks showcased rare Western unity, analysts warn that deep divisions over security guarantees, troop deployments, and ceasefire conditions could derail progress.
Ukraine’s security is Europe’s security,” NATO’s Mark Rutte said, but experts caution that ironing out the details of any peace deal – particularly the question of foreign troops on Ukrainian soil – could take months.
