WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 During their second meeting in the Oval Office this year, President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0said the U.S. would be willing to support European efforts to police any peace deal in Ukraine, while its leader,\u00a0Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u00a0expressed his gratitude and wore dressier clothes.<\/p>\n
And Vice President JD Vance kept his mouth shut.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Trump hosted Zelenskyy\u00a0and top European leaders to energize months of stalled U.S.-led\u00a0efforts\u00a0to halt\u00a0Russia’s 3 1\/2-year-old war, the tone and style of the sit-down was far different than when Ukraine’s president was\u00a0hounded out of the White House\u00a0in February.<\/p>\n
Following the talks,\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0called and spoke at length to\u00a0Russian President Vladimir Putin\u00a0who got\u00a0the red carpet treatment\u00a0at a\u00a0summit with Trump last Friday in Alaska, to discuss the extraordinary gathering of allies. Trump said he would now work to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.<\/p>\n
Here are key takeaways:<\/p>\n
Trump says the US could back security guarantees for Ukraine<\/p>\n
A central question for peace talks is how to prevent further Russian aggression in the future.<\/p>\n
Trump has ruled out allowing Ukraine to join NATO, which would extend the military alliance\u2019s protection to the besieged country. He did, however, express support for\u00a0security guarantees for Ukraine\u00a0\u2014 though details remain vague.<\/p>\n
European countries \u201cwant to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we\u2019ll help them out with that,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
That pleased Zelenskyy, who said the U.S. was offering “such (a) strong signal.\u201d<\/p>\n
With\u00a0Europeans looking to set up a force\u00a0that could backstop any peace agreement in Ukraine, Trump suggested that Putin would be open to accepting security guarantees. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that\u00a0Moscow was open to accepting NATO-style protections for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
European leaders applauded that notion, and the larger meaning it would carry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.<\/p>\n
Macron said talks to determine what the U.S. is willing to provide will start as soon as Tuesday.<\/p>\n
European leaders praise Trump but say tough work is still ahead<\/p>\n
The Europeans came to show a united front on Ukraine, and many used public comments to heap praise on Trump. That was striking given tensions over Trump\u2019s threats to impose\u00a0steep tariffs\u00a0and other issues.<\/p>\n
Ahead of their meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called Trump \u201cdear Donald\u201d and said of fighting in Ukraine: \u201dIf we play this well, we could end it.\u201d In an interview later with Fox News Channel, Rutte called Trump \u201camazing\u201d and said potential swaps of Ukrainian territory weren\u2019t discussed.<\/p>\n
“First, we need full clarity on security guidelines,\u201d Rutte said. Though Ukraine might not have NATO membership, he noted, there would be discussions for security guarantees similar to those extended to members of the alliance.<\/p>\n
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after the meeting that there was \u201creal progress\u201d and a \u201creal sense of unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the leaders spoke privately at the White House, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said all the parties were working together on \u201ca just and lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Offering a more measured tone was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said \u201cthe path is open now\u201d to halting the fighting but next steps are \u201cmore complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s try to put pressure on Russia,\u201d Merz said, adding that he would like to see a ceasefire come together.<\/p>\n
Trump was noncommittal, saying, \u201cIf we can do the ceasefire, great,\u201d but suggested it was far from a dealbreaker. He dropped his push for a ceasefire after Friday’s summit,\u00a0aligning with Putin\u2019s position that negotiations should focus on a long-term peace settlement instead.<\/p>\n
The good feelings extended to Zelenskyy and Trump. After Ukraine\u2019s leader praised the \u201cvery good conversation\u201d with Trump, the U.S. president responded, \u201cGreat remarks. I appreciated it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters Monday night, Merz said the Russian demand that Ukraine give up unconquered parts of its eastern Donbas region to end the fighting would be equivalent to the U.S. giving up Florida.<\/p>\n
More formal attire \u2014 and a far different reception \u2014 for Zelensky y<\/p>\n
The meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday was dramatically different than six months ago, when Trump and Vance harangued Zelenskyy for not being thankful enough for U.S. military support.<\/p>\n
Trump even seemed to relish a reporter from a conservative outlet asking then why Zelenskyy wasn\u2019t wearing a suit at the White House.<\/p>\n
Ukraine’s leader came prepared this time,\u00a0wearing a black shirt and blazer. The same reporter told Zelenskyy, \u201cYou look fabulous,” and Trump responded, \u201cI said the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Trump said to Zelenskyy: “That\u2019s the one that attacked you last time.\u201d The Ukrainian president said he remembered, then playfully needled his questioner.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are in the same suit,\u201d Zelenskyy said as laughter rippled through the room. \u201cI changed. You did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ukraine’s president usually appears in a trademark hoodie or T-shirt \u2014 a show of solidarity with Ukrainian forces on the front lines.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude to the U.S. and European allies for supporting his country, and repeatedly thanked first lady Melania Trump for\u00a0sending a letter to Putin\u00a0about stopping the killing of children during the war.<\/p>\n
In the Oval Office, Vance gave no public comments.<\/p>\n
Next steps in the negotiations turn back to Putin<\/p>\n
Trump, who bragged on numerous occasions during the campaign that he could\u00a0settle Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day, said repeatedly Monday that it was far more complicated than he ever thought it would be.<\/p>\n
But he also suggested \u2014 likely implausibly \u2014 that the fighting that has raged for years could wind down quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cA week or two weeks, we\u2019ll know whether we\u2019re going to solve this, or if this horrible fighting is going to continue,\u201d said Trump, even suggesting the issues yet to be hammered out weren\u2019t \u201coverly complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, much remains unresolved, including\u00a0red lines that are incompatible\u00a0\u2014 like whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine\u2019s army and whether the country will ultimately have lasting and meaningful security guarantees.<\/p>\n
Trump said he had begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. But Russian foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said only that Putin and Trump had a 40-minute phone call and \u201cspoke in favor\u201d of continuing direct talks between the sides, Russian state news agency Tass reported.<\/p>\n
Outside the White House, Zelenskyy said no date had been set for such a meeting but that the U.S. suggested it be as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut for that, agreement of all sides is needed,\u201d he said. He added that the question of territory \u201cis a matter that we will leave between me and Putin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though many European leaders oppose forgoing a possible ceasefire on the road to seeking lasting peace, they have supported a meeting by Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin in the meantime. Macron suggested that another summit could feature the three presidents and also top European leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of trilateral meeting is very important, because this is the only way to fix it,” the French president said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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