President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday following a multi-party call with NATO leaders, during which Trump briefed allies on Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The call, described by participants as “difficult,” came after Trump’s return from Alaska, where his meeting with Putin failed to secure a ceasefire. Sources close to the talks say Trump has shifted from seeking to freeze the conflict to pressing for a direct peace agreement to end the war, dropping his ceasefire demand after Putin refused to budge.
According to reports, Trump privately told Zelensky that freezing the conflict was insufficient, stressing that his renewed diplomatic push aims to secure a lasting peace deal. The stance marks a significant policy shift — aligning more closely with the Kremlin’s position, while diverging from Ukraine’s insistence, shared by many Western allies, that a ceasefire must precede broader peace negotiations to safeguard Ukrainian sovereignty.
Time magazine provides more detailed information:
“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 posted on Truth Social following a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had spoken to Trump following the summit and emphasized the need for a ceasefire, but did not outright counter Trump’s desire for a full peace deal:
“A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” Zelensky wrote on X, though he continued. “Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure.”
Speaking alongside Zelensky at a press conference on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also emphasized the “right sequence” for negotiations: “We want a ceasefire at the very beginning, and then a framework agreement must be drawn up.”
Zelensky, for his part, has repeatedly warned that without firm safeguards, any “peace” could simply give Russia time to rearm, reposition, and strike again. Citing past failures, he has noted that the absence of enforceable guarantees paved the way for previous escalations, including the annexation of Crimea. He continues to press for a three-party summit between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia.
European leaders, who joined the earlier NATO call, expressed unified support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and emphasized that any agreement must include mechanisms to prevent future Russian aggression. While welcoming Trump’s renewed engagement, European officials remain wary that the White House’s shift may align too closely with Moscow’s preferred outcomes.
Trump’s pivot away from a ceasefire and toward a final settlement has raised concerns in Kyiv and across Europe, where officials fear a rushed deal could leave Ukraine vulnerable.
Still, the upcoming White House meeting could prove a turning point. If Trump and Zelensky can agree on basic terms — or secure support for a trilateral summit — momentum toward a negotiated end to the war could become unstoppable.
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Europe has done NOTHING but instigate this war. It is almost like they are working for someone to prolong the conflict. This is NOT a NATO problem. Ukraine is NOT a member of NATO. It is a European problem. But President Trump was the ONLY one to try to end this war without further bloodshed. Since the Europeans abrogated their responsibility to the point that President Trump felt he had to step in, then European leaders SHOULD NOT presume that they have any right to set conditions for anything. If they wanted to do that, they should have taken the lead to begin with.
Trump finally beginning to realize you cannot negotiate with Putin. Except with force.