US President Donald Trump has said that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that preparations were underway for a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a location to be determined.
"Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Witkoff are coordinating with Moscow and Kiev," Trump said on Monday, adding that "everyone is very happy about the possibility of achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine."
He said that after an expected bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, "we will hold another meeting, a trilateral one with me and the two presidents."
A source familiar with the call told AFP news agency that Putin conveyed to Trump his readiness to meet Zelenskyy.
The call came during a break in Trump’s White House talks with European leaders, days after his Alaska summit with Putin.
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For his part, Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported Trump’s efforts to "stop the Russia-Ukraine war and find a diplomatic path to end it," confirming his readiness to participate in a trilateral summit.
He thanked Trump "for working to stop the killing" and said Ukraine was open to holding elections once security and peace were achieved.
Zelenskyy also noted that "we now have the possibility to purchase weapons from the United States, and it is very important to provide security guarantees for rearming the Ukrainian army."
Earlier Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social, urging Kiev to abandon efforts to retake Crimea and its bid to join NATO.
European concerns
Zelenskyy responded on X that "Russia can only be compelled to peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking after the Washington meeting, said "these are decisive days for Ukraine" and expressed doubt about "whether Putin will have the courage to come to a summit with Zelenskyy present."
Merz welcomed Trump’s announcement on security guarantees for Ukraine, saying expectations from the talks were "not only met, but exceeded," and stressed that "all of Europe should take part in security guarantees for Ukraine."
