Ukraine President Zelenskyy to meet US President Trump at White House for Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, just days after Trump’s high-profile Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without a ceasefire agreement.

The meeting comes at a pivotal moment in the more than three-year war in Ukraine, as Trump intensifies efforts to broker what he has described as a “full-fledged peace agreement” rather than a temporary truce. Zelenskyy is joined in Washington by several European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Trump has signaled that he wants Ukraine to make major concessions as part of a peace deal, including abandoning its bid for NATO membership and formally ceding Crimea to Russia which are key demands from Moscow. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday night.

Zelenskyy, however, has repeatedly rejected land swaps, insisting that Ukraine will not surrender territory to Russia. In a post to X upon arriving in Washington, he said: “Russia must end this war, which it itself started. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump.”

Central to Monday’s discussions are potential U.S. and European security guarantees for Ukraine. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said on Fox News Sunday that Washington is “potentially prepared” to offer protections similar to NATO’s Article 5 commitment, though outside the alliance framework. A Ukrainian official said Kyiv is seeking treaty-level guarantees requiring Senate approval.

The talks follow mounting criticism of Trump’s approach after he hosted Putin in Alaska last week. The U.S. extended full honors to the Russian leader, even allowing him to ride with Trump in the presidential limousine, “The Beast.” The summit ended after a brief press event with no concrete progress toward a ceasefire.

Monday’s meeting marks Zelenskyy’s first White House visit since a heated February clash with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, when Trump publicly accused him of being insufficiently grateful for U.S. support.

While Trump has promised that “the ultimate deal here is a peace deal,” significant questions remain over whether Ukraine and Russia can agree on the status of occupied territories, and what role the United States and Europe will play in enforcing any settlement.