As President Donald J. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House, discussions focused on efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The meeting brought together key figures from NATO and the European Union, as well as heads of state from Finland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
President Zelenskyy described his conversation with President Trump as productive. “I think that we had a very good conversation with President Trump… it was really good. We spoke about very sensitive points,” Zelenskyy said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte credited President Trump for initiating renewed dialogue. “I really want to thank you, President of the United States, dear Donald, for the fact that you, as I said before, broke the deadlock basically with President Putin by starting the dialogue … From there, here we are today,” Rutte stated.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb commented on recent progress in peace talks. “I think in the past two weeks, we’ve probably had more progress in ending this war than we have in the past three-and-a-half years,” Stubb said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted changes in Russia’s willingness to engage. “It is an important day — a new phase — after three years that we didn’t see any kind of sign from the Russian side that they were willing for dialogue, so something is changing — something has changed — thanks to you,” Meloni said.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer remarked on the significance of the day’s events. “I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years in relation to a conflict which has gone on for three-and-a-bit years, and so far, nobody has been able to bring it to this point — so I thank you for that,” Starmer said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted the opportunity for further negotiations following these meetings. “This is extremely helpful that we are meeting and hearing that the two of you are having such a good meeting today … The path is open. You opened it last Friday — but now the way is open for complicated negotiations,” Merz stated.
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the importance of trilateral talks for achieving peace. “Thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this meeting and for your commitment… everybody around this table is in favor of peace… this is why the idea of a trilateral meeting is very important because this is the only way to fix it,” Macron said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referenced recent international cooperation and trade agreements while emphasizing shared goals regarding Ukraine: “We had a fantastic NATO Summit… We had the largest trade deal ever — agreed. And now, we are here to work together with you on a… lasting peace for Ukraine. Stop the killing. This is really our common interest.”