WASHINGTON:
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace agreement because he welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in an extraordinary demonstration of unity in the White House.
Trump expressed his optimism about the chances of putting an end to Russia’s invasion and said he was ready to hold a three meeting with the Ukrainian leader Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom he met in Alaska last week.
Zelensky – who also met Trump separately in the oval office for the first time since their acrimonious row in February – said Trump on Monday was the “best” to date.
“In a week or two weeks, we will know whether or not we will solve this problem or whether this horrible fight will continue,” said Trump, opening the meeting.
The presence of leaders of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission and NATO, however, stressed the continuous nervousness of Trump’s pressure on kyiv to make concessions in Moscow.
Trump had pushed Ukraine before the meeting to abandon Crimea and abandon his goal of joining NATO – the two key requests made by Putin.
But the American president said that his talks with Putin had made progress on the issue of security guarantees.
“In a very important step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,” said Trump. “We will consider that at the table, also which will do what will do what is essentially.”
Trump said that during the White House talks on Monday, they “also have to discuss any exchanges of territories” between Russia and Ukraine.
Reports said Putin was pressure for Ukraine to give up his region in the east of Donbas, a large part of which is still partly in the hands of Kyiv, in exchange for freezing the front line elsewhere.
Ukraine has rejected such a decision.
Trump said he was ready to attend a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky in the near future to conclude a peace agreement.
“I think that if everything works well today, we will have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance to end the war when we do it,” said Trump earlier when he was sitting in the oval office alongside Zelensky.
Zelensky praised his meeting with Trump, saying that it was “important that the United States gives such strong signals” on Western security guarantees.
The atmosphere was much calmer than when Trump and Vice-President JD Vance reprimanded Zelensky in front of television cameras less than six months ago for not being “grateful” for American support.
Trump even complimented Zelensky on his black jacket, after the Ukrainian was criticized by the right media because he did not change the outfit of his war of war for a costume during the February visit.
The Europeans aligned themselves to rent Trump as they called for lasting peace to end the invasion of Russia.
“I am really excited. Let’s take the best party of today,” said NATO chief Mark Rutte, while the American president went around the table asking them to comment.
French president Emmanuel Macron, however, called for a separate four -track meeting, including Europeans, to face a grinding conflict that is at their door.
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has in the process of contradicting Trump’s call to go directly for a complete peace agreement instead of an immediate ceasefire, calling for a truce before any summit of the leaders.
“Let’s work on this and try to put pressure on Russia,” said Merz.
Trump said he would speak to Putin by phone later on Monday.
The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska failed to produce ceasefire in the almost three and a half year war that started with Russia’s large-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Russian strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine, including two children.
