Summary
- Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington Monday.
- The meeting follows the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
- The Alaska summit ended without a ceasefire agreement.
- Talks likely to focus on the Ukraine conflict.
- The meeting aims to strengthen US-Ukraine relations.
Donald Trump announced the White House meeting in a Truth Social post on Saturday, saying leaders agreed that a peace agreement, not a temporary ceasefire, was the only way to end the fighting in Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin,”
Trump wrote.
Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting on social platform X, noting that Trump had briefed him on his talks with the Russian leader.
“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation,”
the Ukrainian leader said.
Trump and Putin met in person for the first time since his first term in office on Friday at the Alaska summit. Trump said no ceasefire agreement was struck, but he gave few specifics and said it was showing progress.
"Any final discussions on territory and security guarantees must include Ukraine,"
he said.
After a heated Oval Office exchange earlier this year in which Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance chastised Zelenskyy for what they perceived as a lack of gratitude for U.S. assistance, this will be Zelenskyy's first trip to Washington.
Trump has recently expressed increased annoyance at Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukrainian cities and threatened "severe consequences" if a solution cannot be reached.
What are the main issues Zelenskyy wants to address in Washington?
Zelenskyy emphasized that the core purpose of the meeting is to discuss all details regarding stopping the killing and achieving peace. He reaffirmed Ukraine's readiness to work with maximum effort toward peace.
Zelenskyy supports Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia as a suitable format to discuss key issues at the leader level, aiming for direct dialogue to facilitate peace.
Zelenskyy stresses the importance of involving European partners “at every stage” to ensure Ukraine's security alongside U.S. support. He noted that European leaders, who were absent from the recent Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, must be engaged in peace processes.