Several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have arrived at the White House, where they will meet with US President Donald Trump today, CNN reports. The meeting will discuss ending the war and security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky, meanwhile, has once again called for lasting peace.

In addition to Zelensky, the talks at the White House will be attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Ukraine ready for ceasefire

They all arrived at the White House today, with the Ukrainian president being welcomed by Trump. The European leaders arrived at the White House after many of them met at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington. After the meeting, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire and the establishment of a new security architecture.

"Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for all of Europe," he wrote on the X network, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be expected to voluntarily abandon aggression. Therefore, pressure must work, and it must be joint pressure - from the United States and Europe and everyone in the world who respects the right to life and the international order, he added.

Trump and Zelensky. PHOTO: Mandel Ngan Afp

Efforts to end the war

According to the German news agency dpa, citing the White House, Trump and Zelensky will first hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House. This will be followed by a broader meeting with European leaders. The focus of the talks will be efforts to end the war in Ukraine and security guarantees for it.

Air raid sirens sounded in Ukraine ahead of the White House talks, the French news agency AFP reported. According to Ukrainian forces, sirens sounded in parts of the country after a Russian MiG-31 aircraft, which can carry ballistic missiles, was detected taking off.