U.S. President Donald Trump has met his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House.
It comes after Trump met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the weekend.
Zelenskyy and Trump discussed ending the war in Ukraine, although no breakthrough deal was reached.
The Ukrainian President has repeatedly said he won’t agree to give up any of his country’s territory to end the war.
Trump has now indicated that he wants to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
War in Ukraine
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
While neither side publishes official death tolls, the United Nations (UN) estimates that at least 13,800 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war broke out.
More than 5.6 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia first invaded, according to UN data.
Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, and neither side has made major advances in 2025.
Ceasefire
Multiple efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have failed.
Trump’s election platform in 2024 included securing peace, insisting he would be able to broker a peace deal “within 24 hours”.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to return to its borders pre-2014, when Russia illegally invaded the Crimean peninsula.
Putin meeting
Over the weekend, Trump met with Putin for three hours in the U.S. state of Alaska (formerly a Russian territory).
Both leaders described the talks as “constructive,” but the meeting did not result in a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, Trump told reporters: “We didn’t get there but we have a very good chance of getting there”.
It was the pair’s first meeting since Trump returned to the White House.
Zelenskyy meeting
Zelenskyy confirmed he would meet Trump at the White House after the Alaska summit.
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In a post to X, Zelensky said: “I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump”.
“I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace”.
Trump hosted Zelenskyy earlier this year in his office at the White House, where he and Vice President JD Vance verbally confronted the Ukrainian leader.
During the tense exchange, Trump accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three”.
European leaders attended the second meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy.
The guest list included the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the EU.
NATO chief Mark Rutte also attended the talks.
NATO
Ahead of the meeting, Trump posted on social media: “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE”.
NATO is a military alliance of 32 European and North American countries. If one member is attacked, the others must help them fight back.
In 2008, Ukraine was assured it would eventually be given the chance to join. Putin cited the “expansion” of NATO as a justification for invading Ukraine.
Finland, which also borders Russia, joined in 2023, and Sweden was admitted a year later.
Meeting
Trump and Zelenskyy didn’t reach a concrete agreement or deal mapping out a future peace process in Ukraine.
“The war is going to end,” Trump told reporters.
He said Putin and Zelenskyy both wanted the war to end, based on his discussions with each leader.
“I think the whole world is tired of it and we’re going to get it ended,” Trump said.
One of Ukraine’s key demands is guaranteeing its future security against further attacks.
Zelenskyy has said he wanted the U.S. to agree to send troops, equipment, and share intelligence to protect Ukraine from future attacks.
Trump did not commit to deploying American forces. He said European troops would be the “first line of defence” for Ukraine’s security.
He said he would try to get a “three party meeting” between himself, Zelenskyy, and Putin “as soon as we can”.
