MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

After meeting Zelensky, Trump sees three-way summit with Putin possible

This time around, Zelensky at least wore a dark suit, albeit no tie

US President Donald Trump met Monday with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders following his encounter with Russia's Vladimir Putin to keep working towards a solution to the ongoing crisis.

Trump told Zelensky his country would provide Ukraine with “very good protection” but failed to delve into specifics. “We're going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security. That's part of it,” Trump said. He also expressed optimism that peace could be reached.

Also participating in Monday's encounter were French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Zelensky called the meeting with Trump their “best” yet, and a major topic of discussion was the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential peace deal. “I think that we had a very good conversation with President Trump, very good. And it really was the best one, or, sorry, maybe the best one will be in the future,” Zelensky told reporters.

Trump stated that he expects a three-way summit with Putin and Zelensky to happen soon. European leaders have scheduled a video conference to discuss the outcome of the meetings.

“I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out,” Trump told Zelensky. “Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine, working also together in agreement with President Putin. And I just think that very good things are going to come of it,” the Republican leader also pointed out.

Zelensky arrived around 1 pm at the Oval Office, from where he was ejected by Trump in February, citing disrespectful behavior. This time around, at least he wore a dark suit, albeit no tie.

European Council leaders are to meet via videoconference on Tuesday to discuss the outcome of the Washington meeting. “I have convened a video conference of the members of the European Council for tomorrow at 1 pm CEST, for a debriefing of today's meetings in Washington, D.C., about Ukraine,” EU Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X. “Together with the US, the EU will continue working towards a lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.”

According to media reports, Trump has floated a peace deal that may involve Ukraine ceding territory, but Zelensky insisted any deal must preserve his country's sovereignty.