U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Russia would be willing to accept security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House.
(Read also: Meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky: US president says that 'in one or two weeks' we will know if there is a solution to the war)
Furthermore, the president assured that Europe will support these guarantees to the Ukrainians and that Washington will play a coordinating role in this process. Meanwhile, senior officials assured that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be willing to meet with Zelensky at a summit to finalize the negotiations.
"Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump expressed their support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine," said the Russian leader's diplomatic adviser, Yuyri Uchakov, quoted by Tass.
Trump expressed optimism about the prospects for ending the Russian invasion and said he was willing to hold a three-way meeting with the Ukrainian leader and Putin, whom he met in Alaska on Friday.
Zelensky, who also met separately with Trump in the Oval Office, said these talks with the US leader were the “best” to date.
"In a week or two, we'll know if we're going to resolve this or if this horrible fight is going to continue," Trump said at the start of the meeting.
The presence of leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission, and NATO, however, highlighted the nervousness about Washington's stance on Ukraine.
Before the meeting, Trump had pressured kyiv to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining NATO, two of Moscow's most pressing demands. But yesterday, he announced that the Alaska summit with his Russian counterpart had led to progress.
“In a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,” Trump said.
The Republican added that during yesterday's meetings, participants needed to"address potential land swaps" between Russia and Ukraine.
According to media reports, Putin is pressuring Ukraine to cede its eastern Donbas region, much of which kyiv still controls, in exchange for freezing the front in other areas. Ukraine has rejected any such measures.
"I think if everything works out well today, we'll have a trilateral meeting, and I think there's a reasonable chance we'll end the war when we do," the Republican said, sitting next to Zelensky at the White House.
The Ukrainian welcomed his meeting with Trump, stating that it was"important for the United States to send such strong signals" about Western security guarantees.
The atmosphere at the meeting between the two leaders was much more relaxed than in February, when Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, publicly rebuked the Ukrainian for not being"grateful" for the US support they have given kyiv.
This time, the White House resident even praised Zelensky for his black jacket, after conservative media outlets criticized the Ukrainian for not wearing a suit during his previous visit.
Ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
Meanwhile, European leaders thanked Trump and called for lasting peace. “I'm very excited. Let's make the most of today,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
French President Emmanuel Macron, however, called for a four-way meeting, including Europeans, to address a devastating conflict on his continent.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for his part, rejected Trump's proposal to seek a peace agreement without an immediate cessation of hostilities."I can't imagine the next meeting taking place without a ceasefire, so let's work on that and try to put pressure on Russia," said Chancellor Merz.
The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska did not bring a ceasefire to a war that has lasted nearly three and a half years and began in February 2022 with a full-scale invasion by Russia.
Recently, the American gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a 10- to 12-day deadline to demonstrate his commitment to sealing peace in Ukraine, under threat of imposing economic sanctions on Moscow, as well as secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia. However, the renewed threats went unfulfilled.
"I think there are two sides willing (to make peace), and that's generally good news. But I want to make a deal," Trump added yesterday.
"We will walk together, hand in hand. It may not be possible. On the other hand, it may be possible, and thousands and thousands of lives may be saved," the president noted, emphasizing that his main goal is to stop the killings this war has been causing since 2022.
