US President Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin on Monday after meeting with the Ukrainian president and European leaders at the White House and urged the Russian leader to start planning a summit with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The proposal put forward by Trump is for a one-on-one summit between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, followed by a trilateral meeting among the three countries. This represents the latest development in the US president’s efforts to end the conflict that has lasted for more than three years.
But the first question is whether Putin will agree to direct talks. Yuri Ushakov, an assistant to the Russian president, only said that Trump and Putin had discussed the idea. So it remains to be seen whether the optimistic remarks from Washington represent a real breakthrough in the peace process or merely a strategic unity among Ukraine and its allies.
Trump wrote on social media: “I called President Putin and began arranging a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky. The location is to be determined. After the meeting, we will hold a trilateral meeting with the two presidents and myself. Once again, this is a very good initial step.”
Trump acknowledged that the specific time and location of the meeting have not yet been determined and said that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Vitkov will work to coordinate a possible meeting.
Zelensky told reporters in Washington that the bilateral meeting should not be subject to any conditions. Russia suggested that he meet with Putin first and then invite Trump. The Ukrainian leader said he was willing to discuss territorial issues with the Russian president.
Despite this, developments suggest that the leaders of Ukraine and the major European countries have largely succeeded in persuading Trump to maintain his stance on possible negotiations.
Zelensky said he was glad that Trump had agreed to two key demands: participating in security guarantees as part of a peace agreement and leaving the discussion of territorial exchanges for direct talks with Putin.
Trump also said that he might be able to persuade Russia to release as many as 1,000 prisoners as a gesture of good faith, although this move was not mentioned in the subsequent call between him and the Kremlin or in the readouts of the conversation with the Russian leader.
Several European officials said they expect to hold another meeting with Trump as early as Tuesday to discuss the specific details of the security guarantees they can jointly offer to Kyiv.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters, “Today’s talks mainly focused on security guarantees, further US involvement and all the details to be finalized in the coming days.”
Overall, Monday’s developments represent a reversal of fortune for Kyiv. Just days ago, Trump said in Alaska that the responsibility for ending the conflict lies with Ukraine. In Washington, the two leaders – who have often struggled to work in harmony since Trump returned to power – spent the entire afternoon praising each other and emphasizing their unity.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after the meeting: “The outcome might have been different, but today’s meeting not only met my expectations but also exceeded them.”
Mertz told reporters that a summit between Putin and Zelensky could take place within two weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the details of the meeting between Putin and Zelensky could be determined within a few hours, while a trilateral summit could be held within three weeks.
According to a report by the Financial Times on Monday, Ukraine has proposed to purchase $100 billion worth of US weapons and has reached another agreement worth $50 billion with US companies for the production of drones, with financing provided by Europe. Trump publicly stated that he has convinced Putin that allowing allies to sign security agreements is crucial for reaching a peace agreement and expressed his intention to continue selling weapons to Kiev.
