From clashes to cordial: Trump-Zelenskyy White House talks — Top developments

President Donald Trump said the United States would help Europe provide security guarantees for Ukraine in any post-war settlement. He stressed that European countries would remain the “first line of defense” but promised American support, signaling Washington could be part of a broader security framework for Kyiv after a peace deal.

Breaking with Ukraine and European allies, Trump suggested a ceasefire does not need to come before a peace agreement. The position echoes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s line and raises concern among Kyiv and its backers that Trump might be willing to negotiate on Moscow’s terms. However, after an hour of closed-door meeting with EU leaders and Zelenskyy, Trump then told reporters in the East Room that “all of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace.” He added that he likes a ceasefire because it would “immediately stop the killing,” but reiterated that a peace agreement between the two countries is “very attainable” at this point in the war.

Zelenskyy described the private talks with Trump as "very good" and said they had spoken about Ukraine's need for US security guarantees. "This is very important, that the United States gives such a strong signal and is ready for security guarantees," Zelenskyy said.

The White House meeting was a marked contrast to their last Oval Office encounter six months ago, which ended with Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly upbraiding Zelenskyy. This time, the two struck a lighter, more cordial tone, even joking about Zelenskyy’s switch from his military fatigues to a formal black suit. Trump praised his appearance, and Zelenskyy quipped back at a reporter who had previously mocked his attire.

In a show of solidarity, leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and NATO traveled to Washington to participate in talks. Their presence highlighted the importance of ensuring Ukraine receives strong and binding security guarantees and sent a message to Moscow that Europe stands united behind Kyiv. European leaders called for NATO-style Article 5 security guarantees for Ukraine and joined Trump and Zelensky for a family photo and a photo session in the Oval Office.

French President Emmanuel Macron used the Washington peace talks with Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders to push for a broader format that would formally include Europe. Macron called a US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral “very important, because this is the only way to fix it,” but said the effort could not stop there. He urged a future four-way format with Europe at the table, without specifying who would represent the continent. “As a follow up, we would need the quadrilateral meeting, because when we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent,” Macron said. “This is why we are all united here with Ukraine.”

Unlike the last time he was in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy, US Vice President JD Vance made no comments during the public portion of Monday’s meeting. Seated on a couch with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vance sat by as Trump and Zelenskyy interacted and took questions from reporters. During February’s tense Oval Office meeting, Vance called Zelenskyy “disrespectful” for airing disagreements with Trump in public. Zelenskyy grew defensive, and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful, issuing stark warnings about future American support.

Zelenskyy dismissed Putin’s proposals from the recent Alaska summit with Trump, which called for Ukraine to cede more territory in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials made clear that any decision to give up land would have to be put to a referendum.

Even as diplomacy played out in Washington, Russia launched fresh strikes on Ukrainian cities. At least 10 civilians were killed overnight in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, including children. Zelenskyy described the attacks as a cynical attempt to undermine peace discussions, underscoring the high stakes and human cost of the conflict.