Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, briefly discussed the security guarantees he envisions to bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“It includes two parts. First, a strong Ukrainian army that I began to discuss with your colleagues, and it’s a lot about weapons and people and training issues and intelligence,” Zelensky said.
He added, “and second it will, we will discuss with our partners. It depends on the big countries, on the United States, on all of our friends.”
Trump Shifts Focus From Cease-Fire to Full Peace Deal
President Donald Trump has defended his shift away from pursuing a cease-fire in Ukraine toward negotiating a comprehensive peace deal.
“It might be good to have a cease-fire, but I can also understand strategically …[why] one country or the other wouldn’t want it,” Trump said. “You have a cease-fire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild. Maybe they don’t want that.”
He further explained, “I like the concept of a cease-fire for one reason, because you’d stop killing people immediately, as opposed to in two weeks or one week. We can work a deal where we’re working on a peace deal while they’re fighting.”
While Ukraine has reportedly accepted cease-fire proposals, Russia has rejected them.
Donald Trump Says He Wants Long-Term Peace in Ukraine
Trump repeatedly returned to the idea of a permanent peace deal in Ukraine, acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the war’s timeline.
“The war is going to end. When it ends, I couldn’t tell you,” he said. A few moments later, he added, “We’re going to have a lasting peace. I hope it’s going to be immediately.”
Donald Trump To Call Putin After Zelensky Meeting
Trump also announced plans for a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin following meetings with Zelensky and European leaders.
“I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we’re going to have a phone call right after these meetings today, and we may or may not have a trilat,” he said, referring to a potential trilateral meeting among the three nations.
He continued, “If we don’t have a trilat, then the fighting continues, and if we do, we have a good chance … of maybe ending it, but he’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
