After spending several hours at the White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, Donald Trump announced that a face-to-face summit between the Ukrainian leader and Russia's Vladimir Putin will take place"soon" to advance a peace agreement in the war in Ukraine.

"Had a very good meeting with distinguished guests," Trump posted on Truth Social, referring to Zelensky and European leaders."We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, in coordination with the United States of America," he said.

"At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin and began preparations for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilateral l, which would be the two Presidents, and me. Once again, this was a very good initial step for a war that has been going on for almost four years," he celebrated.

In the middle of the meeting, Trump left the room to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sources told the German newspaper Bild and The Washington Post. Trump later returned to the meeting.

"If all goes well today," the Republican tycoon said before the meetings began, adding that he would call the Russian president immediately afterward. But he evidently didn't wait until the meeting was over. What they discussed was not disclosed.

First, there was a bilateral meeting between Trump and Zelensky, then a"family photo" of all the guests, followed by another multilateral meeting between the leaders in the East Room of the presidential mansion. Amid the tension, the atmosphere between the leaders seemed cordial, even though the Europeans were upset by Trump's closeness to Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Alaska on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office before his meeting with Zelensky, Trump insisted that"I don't think a cease-fire is necessary in Ukraine," an initiative that pleases Russia but not Ukraine or Europe."We can work on a peace agreement while they're fighting," he added.

Asked about security guarantees in Ukraine, Trump said,"We'll give them good protection," but ruled out sending US troops to guarantee that security.

Armored trucks drove through the presidential mansion flanked by flag-waving soldiers. NATO Secretary Mark Rutte; European Commission President Ursula Van der Lleyen; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; French President Emmanuel Macron; and Finnish President Alexander Stubby.

Trump didn't greet them at the door in person, as is often the case when foreign leaders arrive, and as he did in Alaska with Putin on Friday, waiting to greet him on a red carpet on the base's tarmac. They were accompanied by White House Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley, to emphasize that Trump's important meeting was with Zelensky, not them.

Last of all, the Ukrainian president arrived, dressed in a suit and black T-shirt, and as a special guest, he was greeted by Trump at the front door. The attire is no small detail, because at their first meeting in February in the Oval Office, which ended in disaster, he was criticized by the US president for attending in military attire. In fact, Trump praised his attire this time when he greeted him.

They then went to the Oval Office where they took photos in front of a group of journalists.

The atmosphere was very different from the summit they held in February, which ended in disaster, with Trump and his officials practically insulting Zelensky, whom they described as ungrateful to the US and fomenting a third world war.

Zelensky immediately thanked Trump for his efforts to stop the war and handed Trump a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, written to First Lady Melania Trump, thanking him for writing to Putin to stop the war and stop the deaths, especially of children.

"I think everyone is tired of it (the war), and we're going to end it," Trump said."Everyone will be involved, but there will be a lot of help," the American said."We're going to help them, too," he said, although when asked specifically, he ruled out sending US troops on the ground.

The American and Ukrainian then held their bilateral meeting, which lasted less than an hour, and then moved to the East Room where the rest of the European leaders were waiting at a table.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Trump said they would discuss"potential territory swaps" and consider the "war lines" between Ukraine and Russia."That means the war zone, the war lines, which are pretty obvious, very sad, actually, to look at and negotiate positions," Trump said.

Trump also said that Putin agreed in Alaska to security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace deal."This is one of the key points that we have to consider and we're going to be considering that at the table, as well as who's going to do what, essentially," he said.

Trump, flanked by Macron and Meloni, gave the floor to everyone, who in one way or another thanked Trump for his"leadership."

Zelensky said he had “the best summit so far” with Trump. He invited the US president to join a summit with Putin. “If he wants me there, I’ll be there,” Trump said.

German Chancellor Merz publicly called for the Europeans' aspirations:"We would all like to see a ceasefire. Let's work on it, let's put pressure on Russia," he urged. After his summit with Putin, Trump said that a ceasefire is not necessary to achieve lasting peace, contrary to what the Europeans are demanding.

In turn, Italy's Meloni said it was important to discuss" the guarantees to ensure this doesn't happen again." And France's Macron, in a stern tone, echoed her sentiment."Everyone at this table is in favor of peace. For that, we need security guarantees."

And Britain's Starmer added: "When we talk about security, it's not just about Ukraine but also about Europe, which is why it's so important." Macron also called for Europe's participation in the upcoming summit, so that it would be"quadripartite."

Zelensky and European leaders are trying to convince the American that Ukraine must have security guarantees in any peace agreement, following the Republican's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

The meetings took place in an unprecedented context. It is unusual in recent history for so many world leaders to travel on such short notice (they decided to do so on Saturday) to meet with the US president.

Contrary to expectations, the atmosphere at the meetings appeared cordial, as there were fears of strong disagreements. In fact, Trump published a post on Sunday night strongly pressuring Zelensky, warning him that he would not be able to regain the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion, and that"Ukraine would not join NATO" as part of a peace agreement. These are two goals pursued by the Kremlin and rejected by kyiv and Europe.

Trump's warning came after his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday ended inconclusively, with the U.S. president no longer calling for a ceasefire, as Ukraine and Europe want, and instead advocating for a permanent peace deal, as Russia seeks to buy time and gain ground.

Monica Crowley welcomes Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters

This failed meeting at the Anchorage military base set off alarm bells for Zelensky and European leaders, who didn't hesitate to accompany the Ukrainian to the White House to prevent the Republican from mistreating him and to jointly push for a ceasefire against a Trump administration that seemed to tilt the playing field in favor of the Russian. But above all, they demanded security guarantees for Ukraine in any peace agreement.

The tension continued online. Upon his arrival in Washington, Zelensky replied that he was"grateful" for Trump's invitation."We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably." And peace must be lasting. Not like years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our east, part of the Donbas, and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine received so-called"security guarantees" in 1994, but they didn't work."

Monica Crowley meets with NATO chief Mark Rutte. Photo: AP

He added: "Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint efforts with the United States and our European friends will force Russia into a real peace."

Trump then responded, without it being clear to the recipient: “I know exactly what I’m doing, & I don’t need advice from people who have been working on all these conflicts for years & have never been able to do anything to stop them. They are “STUPID” people, with no common sense, intelligence or understanding, & they only make the current mess in Russia & Ukraine harder to FIX. Despite all my lenient & very jealous critics, I will do it, I always do!!,” he posted a couple of hours before the meeting.

According to several sources, Trump told the Europeans that he believed Putin would accept a deal if Ukraine handed over its easternmost Donbas region, including parts Russia doesn't control. Zelensky has previously warned that doing so would mean Ukraine would lose key defensive positions and become more vulnerable to Russian attacks in the future.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield. They now occupy nearly a fifth of Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

PB