Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday expressed readiness to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to end the ongoing war.
Speaking after a high-level meeting at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and several European leaders, Zelensky said the potential encounter with Putin would mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
“I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me — that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin,” Zelensky told reporters following the summit.
The Ukrainian leader has faced mounting pressure from some quarters to consider territorial concessions, as Russian forces continue to record advances.
Ahead of the talks, Trump had urged Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions and recognize Russia’s control of Crimea — demands that have long topped Moscow’s agenda.
However, Zelensky stressed that he had used the White House talks to present a clearer picture of the battlefield situation to Trump and other Western leaders. l
“This was the best of our meetings. I was able to show many things, even on the map, to all American colleagues regarding the situation on the battlefield,” he said in a statement from his office.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who attended the discussions, noted that the summit focused not on concessions, but on securing international guarantees to underpin any future peace deal
Trump also confirmed that such guarantees would involve coordination between the United States and European partners.
According to Zelensky, details of these arrangements could be finalized “in the next week or ten days,” with the U.S. expected to play a key role in ensuring Ukraine’s long-term security.
