President Donald Trump is taking new steps to facilitate direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a high-stakes diplomatic effort aimed at ending more than three years of war in Eastern Europe.
Trump announced Monday that he called Putin to begin arranging a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky, following a day of intensive talks at the White House with the Ukrainian leader and a group of top European heads of state. The outreach comes just days after Trump’s own closed-door summit with Putin in Alaska, a meeting that drew widespread attention but produced few public details.
“During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that he had spoken directly with Putin and began “arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” noting that he expected to host a trilateral session with both leaders once that encounter takes place.
A White House Gathering of Allies
The Washington meeting brought together an unusually high-powered group: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
While the talks were upbeat, few concrete measures were agreed upon, and Russian forces continued striking Ukrainian cities even as Zelensky huddled with allies in Washington. At least 14 civilians were killed in fresh Russian attacks on Monday, Ukrainian officials said.
Still, European leaders praised Trump’s role in brokering dialogue. Rutte, speaking later on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle, called Trump a “pragmatic peacemaker” who “broke the deadlock” by engaging Putin directly. Similar sentiments echoed throughout the day as leaders credited Trump with pushing forward the possibility of negotiations.
Cease-Fire Debate
One of the main points of divergence in the talks was whether a cease-fire would be required before a potential Putin-Zelensky meeting. Chancellor Merz insisted that fighting must halt before leaders convene. Trump, however, dismissed that view.
“I don’t think you’d need a cease-fire,” Trump told reporters. “If you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war — I didn’t do any cease-fires.”
Zelensky, for his part, struck a careful tone, welcoming U.S. and European commitments to long-term security guarantees while emphasizing humanitarian priorities.
“We discussed security guarantees. This is a key issue, a starting point towards ending the war,” Zelensky said in a statement shared on X. “A lot of attention today was given to the return of our children, to the release of prisoners of war and civilians held by Russia.”
He confirmed discussions about a possible $90 billion U.S. weapons package, to be coordinated through Europe, calling it an “important signal” of Washington’s continued support.
Russia Pushes Back
A Putin adviser confirmed that the Russian president spoke with Trump for 40 minutes following the White House gathering. Moscow’s foreign ministry, however, quickly rejected any suggestion of a NATO peacekeeping force being deployed in Ukraine, according to Russian state media.
Despite that, Trump and Putin were described as maintaining a “positive tone” after their Alaska summit, raising hopes that a direct Zelensky-Putin encounter may still be possible.
Trump’s Broader Strategy
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff are tasked with coordinating the next steps, Trump said. The announcement marks a notable turnaround after tensions earlier this year, when Vance and Trump engaged in a heated confrontation with Zelensky during a prior White House visit.
Since then, Ukraine has signed a long-term minerals deal with the U.S., and NATO allies have pledged to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 — two developments the Trump administration has hailed as major diplomatic achievements.
While significant obstacles remain, Trump’s allies argue his personal involvement is reshaping the dynamics of a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
“The leaders personally came to support Ukraine and to discuss everything that will bring us closer to real peace,” Zelensky said. “Today was an important step, a demonstration of genuine unity between Europe and the United States.”
