Media criticism makes him nervous.

All eyes are on the White House today as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with a host of European leaders seeking an immediate ceasefire to end the deadly war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is joined by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz and others.

Trump: We will get involved

The United States will cooperate in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office today. He called for a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and announced that he would call the Russian president after today's consultations in Washington.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his bilateral meeting with Zelensky, Trump expressed his belief that Putin wants to end the war."I think if everything goes according to plan today, we will have a trilateral meeting and I think there will be a reasonable possibility of ending the war," he added. Zelensky also expressed his willingness to have a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump.

The US president also assessed that progress was being made in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He stressed that European countries were the"first line of defense" but that Washington would also help ensure peace, reports the French news agency AFP."We will get involved," he added.

He believes that a ceasefire is not necessary to end the war."I know it might be good to have one, but strategically I understand why one country or another doesn't want one," he added. He also advocated for a permanent ceasefire.

Zelensky, meanwhile, thanked Trump for his efforts to end the war."We want it to end well for everyone. The Ukrainian people have suffered," he said, also advocating for lasting peace.

He also thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for a letter she wrote to Putin about the suffering of children during the war. He also handed Trump a letter from the First Lady of Ukraine."This is not for you, it's for your wife," he added.

Tension even before the meeting

The meeting comes months after Trump's disastrous Oval Office spat with Zelensky. Trump has now issued a series of angry tweets on social media, attacking"fake news" for calling his upcoming White House meeting with world leaders a "big loss."

"This is actually a great honor for America!!!"he insisted. President Trump also defended his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska, which ended without a ceasefire agreement or a rough framework for peace with Ukraine. On Sunday, he sent his supporters into despair after posting a one-word message on his Truth Social network without further context.

Trump lashed out at the Wall Street Journal today after the paper claimed it"rolled out the red carpet" for Vladimir Putin. Hours before he was due to greet European leaders in the Oval Office, Trump took to Truth Social to vent his hatred."I've saved six wars in six months, one of which was a potential nuclear disaster, and yet I have to read and listen to the Wall Street Journal and many others who really have no clue, telling me everything I'm doing wrong with the Russia-Ukraine mess, that it's Sleepy Joe Biden's war, not mine."

"I'm here to stop it, not to continue to perpetuate it. If I were president, this would NEVER happen. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I don't need advice from people who have been dealing with all these conflicts for years and have never been able to do anything to stop them."

"These are 'STUPID' people, without common sense, intelligence or understanding, and are only making it harder to FIX the current disaster between Russia and Ukraine. Despite all my frivolous and very jealous critics, I will do it - I always do it!!!" Trump also wrote.