Trump says he will arrange Putin, Zelensky meeting after speaking with both
After meetings with Zelensky and top European leaders in White House, Trump says trilateral meeting is also in the works
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was brokering a meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be followed by a trilateral meeting that would include the US leader.
The declaration followed back-to-back meetings at the White House, including Trump’s in-person meeting with the Ukrainian president, in which he also dangled the possibility of US troops supporting Ukraine. He also met jointly with Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other top leaders from across the Atlantic.
“Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine,” Trump said on social media. “At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself.”
Trump added that the larger group “discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America”.
However, disagreement over the timing of a ceasefire remains to be overcome.
Trump, Zelensky say trilateral with Putin may follow
Merz, for example, insisted in a social media post that one needs to be in place prior to any further talks.