US President Donald Trump has interrupted a meeting with European leaders at the White House to call Russian President Vladimir Putin about efforts to secure a Ukraine deal, according to a source close to the talks.
The call took place while Trump was hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission, and NATO.
According to German daily Bild, Trump stepped out of the East Room, where talks were being held behind closed doors, to take the call separately.
He had previously said he would call Putin after meeting with the Europeans.
The meeting was concluded shortly after.
Security guarantees
European leaders in Washington underscored that binding security guarantees for Ukraine would be essential to any lasting peace.
"We are here, Europeans, as friends and allies ... Stop the killing. This is really our common interest," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She stressed that guarantees modelled on NATO’s Article 5 are "so important" for Ukraine’s long-term security.
NATO chief Mark Rutte echoed the call for urgency.
"If we play this well, we could end this. And we have to end this. We have to stop the killing, we have to stop the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure," he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the Article 5-style model had first been proposed by Italy.
"The first topic is security guarantees – how to be sure this won’t happen again. It is the precondition of every kind of peace," she said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the Washington meeting "a historic step," emphasizing that security for Ukraine means security for Europe.
The leaders also looked ahead to a potential trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy.
