Kyiv/Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that he will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week, following Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that ended without an agreement to stop the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he held a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump after the US leader met Putin in Alaska. Thanking Trump for the invitation, the Ukrainian president confirmed that the two leaders will meet in Washington on Monday to “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.”
Emphasizing Europe’s role, Zelenskyy said, “It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America.” He also noted “positive signals” from the US regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.
The talks came after Trump’s high-profile meeting with Putin produced no breakthrough. While Putin claimed the leaders had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine, Trump stressed, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” adding that Europe must not obstruct potential progress.
Trump, before departing Alaska, told Fox News that responsibility would partly fall on Zelenskyy to “get it done,” while confirming that European nations would remain engaged in the process.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Trump had a lengthy call with Zelenskyy, followed by discussions with NATO and European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued overnight with one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones launched, of which 61 were intercepted, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Strikes targeted Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Chernihiv regions.
Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Russian state television that the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy has not been discussed.
