U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war, though the extent of the assistance was not immediately clear.

 

 

 

Trump made the pledge during a summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskiy and a group of European allies following his meeting on Friday in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

 

 

 

“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would play a key role. “They are a first line of defence because they’re there, but we’ll help them out.”

 

 

 

Zelensky welcomed the commitment as “a major step forward,” saying the guarantees would be formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days. He also noted that Ukraine had offered to purchase about $90 billion worth of U.S. weapons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tone of Monday’s meeting was markedly warmer than a tense Oval Office encounter in February, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance had publicly criticized Zelenskiy.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the progress, a peace deal still appeared distant. Just before the talks began, Russia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the idea of NATO troops being deployed to secure any agreement, complicating Trump’s proposal.

 

 

 

 

 

Both Trump and Zelenskiy expressed hope that the discussions could eventually pave the way for direct talks with Putin, whose forces continue advancing in eastern Ukraine.

 

 

 

 

 

In a social media post late Monday, Trump said he had spoken with the Russian leader and begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, which would be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents.

 

 

 

 

 

According to a European delegation source, Trump told allies that the proposed sequence

of talks was suggested by Putin himself.