Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy looked set for a peace summit after talks Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the key issue of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
Hopes of a breakthrough rose after Trump said he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin – whom he met in Alaska last week – following a “very good” meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.
It would be the first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders since Moscow’s brutal invasion nearly three and a half years ago, and comes as Trump tries to live up to his promise to quickly end the war.
Trump, 79, wrote on his Truth Social network that “everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.”
“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,” Trump said.
Trump said he would then hold a three-way summit with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Putin had agreed to the bilateral meeting within the next two weeks but there was no confirmation of a date or location.
Zelenskyy confirmed to reporters outside the White House he was “ready” for a bilateral with bitter foe Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine has led to tens of thousands of deaths.
In Moscow, a Kremlin aide said that Putin was open to the “idea” of direct talks with Ukraine.
The US president meanwhile said he had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, adding that Putin had agreed to them despite ruling out Kyiv’s long-held dream of joining the NATO alliance.
Trump said the guarantees “would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.”
NATO Chief Mark Rutte told reporters at the White House it was a “very successful meeting” with “the president really breaking the deadlock.”