Updated August 18, 2025 at 2:24 PM CDT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump, while hosting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Monday, said that if Ukraine and Russia can meet for trilateral talks with the U.S., there's a "reasonable chance" of ending the war.
Trump said he would speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin over the phone later today after meeting with Zelenskyy, who agreed to the potential trilateral meeting.
Trump said it was an honor to host Zelenskyy and said "substantial progress" was being made on efforts to end the war. "Today's meeting is very important," he said.
The comments came during an appearance in the Oval Office ahead of a multilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and various European leaders.
For Zelenskyy, the talks mark his first trip back to the White House since February, when the Ukrainian leader was lectured by Trump and Vice President Vance before abruptly leaving the White House. The leaders have met and talked multiple times since then -- including at the Vatican.
Today, the tone in the Oval Office was markedly different, as Zelenskyy profusely thanked Trump.
"Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts, to stop killings and stop this war," Zelenskyy said.
The two met for 20 minutes in the Oval Office, and fielded several questions from reporters, including about the possibility of U.S. troops getting involved in maintaining peace between Ukraine and Russia once a peace agreement can be reached — which Trump did not directly comment on.
"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 a long time," Trump said.
He said European countries would be the "first line of defense" but that the U.S. would "help them out."
"There'll be a lot of help when it comes to security," Trump said, noting that the U.S. would help by selling weapons to Ukraine and other allies in Europe, rather than direct aid.
Key European leaders are attending with Zelenskyy
Monday's talks won't just be Zelenskyy at the table with Trump, as an unusually long list of European leaders are on hand to join them. Among them: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in what is being seen as a united front to prevent Trump from pressuring Zelenskyy into an unfair agreement to end the war with Russia. Also joining at the White House is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb.
After Zelenskyy was excluded from Trump's summit in Alaska last week with Putin, European leaders want to weigh in on Trump's suggestions of a "land swap" — something that Zelenskyy has already said he opposes — and security guarantees to prevent Russia from invading again.
Ahead of Monday's meetings, Trump put the onus on Zelenskyy to reach a peace deal with his Russian aggressor — and laid down two conditions.
"President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump said on social media late Sunday night.
Trump's shift on a ceasefire
Zelenskyy's return to Washington comes amid new questions about Trump's positions on the war, which shifted after he met with Putin. Prior to the Alaska summit, Trump had said he wanted a ceasefire and threatened consequences for Russia if the fighting didn't end.
But now Trump is advocating against a ceasefire and pushing for a full peace agreement, which is Putin's preferred position — and he has said he sees no immediate need for new sanctions.
The Trump administration says European leaders are at the White House because the president made progress in his Friday talks with Putin — not because Zelenskyy needs back-up.
"They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskyy from being bullied," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. "They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans."
Rubio emphasized that enough progress has been made to warrant a new phase of discussions.
"I'm not saying we're on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement," Rubio added. "Enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelenskyy and the Europeans, enough movement for us to dedicate even more time to this."
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Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on CNN's State of the Union, that the U.S. was working on concessions from Russia that — in his words — would be "game changing."
"We were able to win the following concession that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," Witkoff said, referring to NATO's collective defense clause. Witkoff said it was the first time U.S. officials had heard Russia agree to this before.
To be sure, Russia has not said this publicly. But it would signal a significant shift on part of the Trump administration. Trump has long said it's up to Europe to provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees.
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