Wednesday, 27 August, 2025
President Donald Trump said Monday the United States would support European partners in providing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any deal to end Russia’s war, as he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened an unscheduled White House meeting aimed at charting a path to peace.
In remarks to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump suggested he no longer considered a ceasefire a necessary precondition for negotiations, aligning with a position long held by Russian President Vladimir Putin but opposed by Zelensky and most European leaders.
The hastily arranged encounter—coming six months after a disastrous prior meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly upbraided Zelensky—struck a noticeably warmer tone. Trump greeted the Ukrainian leader outside the White House with a handshake and light banter over Zelensky’s black suit, a departure from his military fatigues, before ushering him inside.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump said, emphasizing that Europe would remain the “first line of defense” but that Washington would backstop the effort. Asked for his message to the Ukrainian people, Trump twice said, “We love them.”
The White House session drew an unusual show of solidarity, with leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO flying to Washington on short notice to reinforce Western unity. Zelensky, underscoring Kyiv’s position, said: “We need to stop this war, to stop Russia, and we need support—American and European partners.”
Yet Trump’s recent overtures to Putin—whom he welcomed to Alaska last week despite an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes—have fueled fears in Kyiv that Washington could pressure Ukraine into painful concessions. Trump has floated the idea that Ukraine abandon hopes of joining NATO or regaining Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. His team has also spoken of “compromises on both sides.”
Putin’s latest proposals, relayed after Alaska, call for Ukraine to cede its remaining foothold in eastern Donetsk, where Ukrainian troops are deeply entrenched. Zelensky has indicated such terms are unacceptable, with any territorial concessions requiring a national referendum.
Despite those divides, European leaders expressed cautious optimism about Trump’s pledge to anchor Ukraine’s security in any settlement. Germany’s government said it would seek further details in Washington.
Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Overnight Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia killed at least 10 civilians, including two children, which Zelensky condemned as a “cynical” attempt to undermine peace efforts. Ukrainian forces struck back, claiming a drone attack on a Russian oil facility in Tambov.
The conflict, launched with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has left more than a million people dead or wounded and devastated entire cities.
“We need to find a way forward,” Trump said, adding that he believes Putin is ready to end the war and floated a potential trilateral summit with Zelensky. No commitment has yet been made by the Kremlin.
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President Donald Trump said Monday the United States would support European partners in providing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any deal to end Russia’s war, as he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opened an unscheduled White House meeting aimed at charting a path to peace.
In remarks to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump suggested he no longer considered a ceasefire a necessary precondition for negotiations, aligning with a position long held by Russian President Vladimir Putin but opposed by Zelensky and most European leaders.
The hastily arranged encounter—coming six months after a disastrous prior meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly upbraided Zelensky—struck a noticeably warmer tone. Trump greeted the Ukrainian leader outside the White House with a handshake and light banter over Zelensky’s black suit, a departure from his military fatigues, before ushering him inside.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump said, emphasizing that Europe would remain the “first line of defense” but that Washington would backstop the effort. Asked for his message to the Ukrainian people, Trump twice said, “We love them.”
The White House session drew an unusual show of solidarity, with leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO flying to Washington on short notice to reinforce Western unity. Zelensky, underscoring Kyiv’s position, said: “We need to stop this war, to stop Russia, and we need support—American and European partners.”
Yet Trump’s recent overtures to Putin—whom he welcomed to Alaska last week despite an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes—have fueled fears in Kyiv that Washington could pressure Ukraine into painful concessions. Trump has floated the idea that Ukraine abandon hopes of joining NATO or regaining Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. His team has also spoken of “compromises on both sides.”
Putin’s latest proposals, relayed after Alaska, call for Ukraine to cede its remaining foothold in eastern Donetsk, where Ukrainian troops are deeply entrenched. Zelensky has indicated such terms are unacceptable, with any territorial concessions requiring a national referendum.
Despite those divides, European leaders expressed cautious optimism about Trump’s pledge to anchor Ukraine’s security in any settlement. Germany’s government said it would seek further details in Washington.
Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Overnight Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia killed at least 10 civilians, including two children, which Zelensky condemned as a “cynical” attempt to undermine peace efforts. Ukrainian forces struck back, claiming a drone attack on a Russian oil facility in Tambov.
The conflict, launched with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has left more than a million people dead or wounded and devastated entire cities.
“We need to find a way forward,” Trump said, adding that he believes Putin is ready to end the war and floated a potential trilateral summit with Zelensky. No commitment has yet been made by the Kremlin.
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