#Donald Trump# Volodymyr Zelenskyy# White House# US# Ukraine War# Russia# Vladimir Putin
IBNS-CMEDIA: Days after his historic meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House to discuss ways to find a resolution to the conflict between the two countries.
The last meeting between the two leaders at the White House in February was an explosive one, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance slamming the Ukrainian leader about what they termed a “lack of gratitude”.
Zelenskyy had then left the White House shortly after, without signing the mineral rights deal, which was one of the main reasons for his visit.
On Monday, Trump and Zelenskyy took questions from reporters in the Oval Office before their talks.
Trump said he hoped the day’s talks would pave the way for a meeting between himself, Zelenskyy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the end to the war.
The US president met with Putin in Alaska last week.
When it came to specifics about the crucial issue of security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent another Russian invasion in the future, Trump largely avoided taking a definitive position.
He acknowledged that the US would “be involved” to some degree in ensuring Ukraine’s security, along with Europe.
“We’re going to work with everybody, and we’re going to make sure that if there’s peace, the peace is going to stay long term. This is very long term. We’re not talking about a two year peace and then we end up in this mess again,” Trump said.
Zelenskyy said he is pushing for “everything” he can get from the US in terms of a security arrangement, and said a “strong Ukrainian army” is crucial for ensuring the country’s future.
“It’s a lot about weapons and then people and training and intelligence,” he said, as well as “the big countries” like the U.S. and “a lot of our friends.”
Friday’s Alaska summit marked the first US-Russia meeting since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The three-hour session ended without a ceasefire, but Trump insisted the talks had shifted the focus toward a broader settlement.
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
