- Trump pushes Ukraine to give up Crimea.
- Zelensky says presented clear picture of battlelines to Trump.
- Macron says summit focused on arranging security guarantees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he was willing to meet directly with his Russian counterpart to end the war.
Speaking to reporters after talks with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders at the White House, Zelensky said he was ready for what would be his first face-to-face with Vladimir Putin since Moscow’s invasion nearly three and a half years ago.
“I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me — that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin,” Zelensky said following the summit.
Zelensky has come under increasing pressure to cede territory to end the grinding war, as Russia makes a series of advances.
Ahead of the White House meeting, Trump had pushed Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining Nato — both key demands made by Putin.
But Zelensky stressed he had been able to present a clearer picture of the battlelines to Trump, who he met in a one-on-one in the Oval Office.
“This was the best of our meetings,” Zelensky said, according to a statement put out by his office. “I was able to show many things, even on the map, to all American colleagues regarding the situation on the battlefield.”
Rather than concessions from Ukraine, the summit focused on arranging security guarantees in the event of a peace deal, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters afterwards.
Trump said the guarantees “would be provided by the various European Countries (in) coordination with the United States of America.”
He assured that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would be involved. “They are a first line of defence because they’re there, but we’ll help them out.”
Zelensky hailed the promise as “a major step forward,” adding that the guarantees would be “formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days” and saying Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of US weapons.
Zelensky added that “it is important that the United States of America gives a clear signal that it will be among the countries that will assist, coordinate and also be participants in security guarantees for Ukraine.”
The tone on Monday was much warmer than a disastrous Oval Office meeting that saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticise the Ukrainian leader in February.
But a peace deal still appeared far from imminent.
Additional input from Reuters.
