Trump holds high-stakes peace talks with Zelenskyy, European leaders

By Caroline Boda
The Center Square

President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, five European heads of state and NATO leaders at the White House on Monday to hammer out details of a potential peace agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump began the roundtable by outlining his goal of setting up a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy following Monday’s summit. A meeting between the two warring nations is the only path forward to a longstanding peace agreement, Trump said.

“Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelenskyy and by the people of Ukraine working also together and in agreement with President Putin,” Trump said.

Zelenskyy and his European allies pushed for security guarantees to be included in a final peace deal to ensure Russia does not invade Ukraine again. Trump suggested the U.S. would likely be involved in providing this protection. The leaders did not discuss details of these measures during the public portion of the summit but indicated that the specifics would be worked out during Monday’s talks.

Ukraine has long sought membership in NATO, a proposition Russia has said would threaten its own security. However, Putin reportedly agreed to have NATO-like security measures for Ukraine included in a potential peace agreement during his meeting with Trump Friday.

The European leaders stressed that security protections for Ukraine are necessary not just for the Ukrainian people, but for the security of the whole continent as well.

“When we talk about security, we’re talking about the security not just of Ukraine, we’re talking about the security of Europe and the United Kingdom as well,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Trump previously said an immediate ceasefire was necessary for Russia and Ukraine to work out a peace agreement. But after meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump abandoned this plan, saying a ceasefire isn’t needed to end the war.

During Monday’s talks, some of the European heads of state suggested that a ceasefire deal must remain a priority. Alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron called a truce to halt the deadly war “a necessity” before moving on to a longstanding peace agreement.

Discussions between the leaders continued during the private portion of the summit Monday afternoon. Trump indicated that he would call Putin after the talks concluded.