Trilateral push: Trump, Zelenskyy open to talks with Putin on Ukraine war

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy say they are willing to enter trilateral dialogue with Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that they were open to three-way talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

“I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we’re going to have a phone call right after these meetings today — and we may or may not have a trilat,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, using shorthand for trilateral negotiations.

 

Zelenskyy, appearing alongside Trump, echoed the sentiment. “We are ready for trilateral as the president said. It’s a good signal about trilateral. I think this is very good,” he told reporters.

 

 

The comments came ahead of a high-stakes White House meeting with European leaders, where discussions focused on long-term security guarantees for Kyiv. Trump suggested that a “NATO-like” framework could emerge, while stressing that US troops would not be deployed.

 

“They want to give protection, and they feel very strongly about it, and we’ll help them out with that,” Trump said. “I think it’s very important to get the deal done.” 

 

Trump-Putin Alaska summit

The remarks come just days after Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska, where the US president suggested that Zelenskyy would need to accept concessions to advance peace talks. Trump added that he plans to speak directly with the Russian leader again once his consultations with Zelenskyy and European counterparts conclude.

 

After their press appearance, Trump and Zelenskyy held one-on-one talks before being joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 

 

European leaders present united stance

European leaders, excluded from Trump’s earlier session with Putin, arrived in Washington to ensure Ukraine’s interests are safeguarded and to prevent wider Russian aggression on the continent. Their collective appearance at the White House marks a show of diplomatic unity.

 

The gathering may have also been aimed at preventing tensions seen in February, when Trump publicly rebuked Zelenskyy during an Oval Office meeting for not showing enough gratitude for US aid. This time, EU leaders sought to present a coordinated front before moving into joint discussions in the East Room.