Trump meets Zelenskyy, European leaders at White House: What they said

Trump met Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict; leaders stressed ceasefire, unity, and security guarantees

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders at the White House to discuss ways to put an end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

 

Trump's meeting with the European leaders came after he met with Zelenskyy. The leaders who met Trump included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 

 

Prior to meeting with the European leaders, Trump held a private meeting with Zelenskyy. In a Truth Social post after the meeting, Trump said he has begun making arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin to discuss ways to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its fourth year.

 

 

Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said he was ready for “any format” of a meeting with Putin, adding that he would participate in a trilateral meeting, CNN reported. "I believe unconditionally we should meet and think about the further development of this path to the end of the war", Zelenskyy said. 

 

Here's what European leaders said after meeting with Trump:

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump opened the doors to a resolution. However, he highlighted the complicated next steps. Calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Merz asked Trump to put pressure on Putin. According to a report in The Guardian, Merz said, "To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire, the latest from the next meeting on."

 

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the European leaders want peace between the two countries. Reiterating remarks made by Merz about a ceasefire, Macron said, "At least to stop the killing.”

 

Macron said the most significant outcome of talks at the White House was the willingness of the US to work on the content of security guarantees for Ukraine, CNN reported. Macron said it was about the "whole security of the European continent", adding that it would involve a strong Ukrainian army for "years and decades to come". 

 

According to CNN, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the European leaders have agreed that Trump should inform Putin of what was decided in the meeting. Speaking of Trump's call to Putin, Stubb said, "It was coordinated."

 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the talks as "good and constructive", adding, "There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and President Trump and President Zelensky."

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the need to return all abducted Ukrainian children to their families. In a post on X, she wrote, "The human cost of this war must end. And that means every single Ukrainian child abducted by Russia must be returned to their families."

 

Speaking to Fox News, Nato's Secretary-General Mark Rutte said, "If Russia is not playing ball on direct talks with Ukraine, the United States plus Europe will do more when it comes to tariffs and sanctions on Moscow." He also described the meeting between Trump and European leaders a "breakthrough" moment.