Trump hosts Zelenskyy, European allied leaders after Alaska summit

9 p.m. update: 

President Donald Trump said he called Russian leader Vladimir Putin Monday evening in an effort to set up a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The location of that meeting is yet to be determined, Trump said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said such a meeting could take place within two weeks. A trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin could follow, according to Trump.

4 p.m. update: President Donald Trump discussed a number of sensitive issues relating to the Russia-Ukraine war while meeting Monday afternoon with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The pair met privately at the White House before convening with a group of allied European leaders to continue discussing security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia to enter into a ceasefire agreement. Trump described the day as successful before the closed-door meeting with European leaders. If talks continued to progress, Trump said he hoped to arrange a trilateral meeting with himself, Zelenskyy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The president also noted that leaders needed to discuss territory exchanges during the private meeting.

Original story:

President Donald Trump planned to host a record number of European leaders on Monday at the White House, according to a statement from the president. The mass meeting came days after Trump’s long-awaited sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump described the nearly three-hour meeting with Putin as productive but said it yielded no final deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

What’s Trump doing with the European leaders? Trump will first meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before convening a multilateral meeting with European leaders later in the afternoon. European allied leaders include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

European leaders already convened with Zelenskyy on Sunday at the Coalition of the Willing in Brussels. The coalition discussed support for Ukraine and next steps in peace negotiations following the Alaska summit, according to a Sunday statement from the coalition leaders. European leaders commended Trump’s commitment to security guarantees for Ukraine, according to the statement. Europe is also ready to deploy a reassurance force once fighting has stopped to help secure Ukraine’s territories and regenerate Kyiv’s armed forces, the statement added.

European allies solidified shared positions and supported Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, Zelenskyy said of the coalition meeting Sunday night. European leaders agree that borders will not be forcefully changed, and these issues must be resolved in a trilateral format between Ukraine, America, and Russia, he added.

Trump has repeatedly suggested a land swap between Ukraine and Russia to bring an end to the war. All European leaders want a quick and lasting end to the war, but Ukraine will not be forced to give up land, Zelenskyy said in a separate Sunday night statement. Zelenskyy continued by slamming previous land agreements and other failed security guarantees that Ukraine experienced. Ukrainians are fighting for independence, and Russia must be forced into a real peace, he said.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD’s previous report for more about the outcome of Friday’s Alaska Summit.