Trump kickstarts Putin–Zelenskyy peace summit

Trump said he had held "a very good meeting" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other European leaders.

According to him, the talks focused on security guarantees for Ukraine that European countries would provide in coordination with the United States. He added that all parties were "very happy" about the possibility of reaching peace.

"At the conclusion of the meetings, l called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy," stated President Trump.

He added that after this bilateral meeting, a trilateral summit involving Zelenskyy, Putin, and himself would also take place.

"This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years," he noted, adding that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were coordinating the situation.

Other statements on Putin meeting

Earlier, President Zelenskyy had said that he was prepared to discuss territorial questions with Putin, emphasizing that Trump would attempt to organize such a meeting. At that time, it was understood that the discussions would take place within the framework of a trilateral summit.

According to Trump, prospects for ending the Russia–Ukraine war could become clearer within one to two weeks, the same timeframe Western media suggest may be required for the next round of leader-level meetings.

The United States, together with European partners, is prepared to offer strong security guarantees for Ukraine. As the Financial Times reported, Zelenskyy arrived in Washington with a proposal that rejected any territorial concessions but included an agreement on $150 billion worth of weapons.