Washington, SANA-U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday they hope White House talks with European leaders will pave the way for trilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Trump said the goal was “a direct peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine — not merely a ceasefire.” He stressed the meeting with Zelensky and European leaders “is not the end of the road” and expressed confidence in reaching a peaceful resolution.
On security guarantees for Kyiv, Trump said “Europe will serve as the first line of defense.” He described last week’s meeting with Putin in Alaska as “positive,” adding that “the war will come to an end, and both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents want that outcome.”
Zelensky voiced support for Trump’s initiative to pursue a diplomatic settlement and said Ukraine was ready to join a trilateral summit with Trump and Putin. He praised Washington’s efforts to halt the conflict and said elections could be held once peace and security are restored.
Before meeting Zelensky, Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform urging Ukraine to drop its bid to reclaim Crimea and reconsider its aspiration to join NATO.
Rana/Manar Salameh
