Donald Trump has ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies visited the White House to push for US-backed security guarantees as part of any long-term peace deal.
The US president, who only last week warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if Vladimir Putin failed to agree to a halt the fighting, made clear on Monday he had reversed his position.
Welcoming Zelenskyy to the hastily assembled meeting at the Oval Office, Trump referred to other conflicts which he claimed to have ended, telling reporters: “I don’t think you’d need a ceasefire. If you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war – I didn’t do any ceasefires.”
He did, however, say the US would help guarantee Ukraine’s safety – something Kyiv has long said would be essential for a lasting peace. Trump said: “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help.” But the US president made it clear that European countries would be expected to carry the burden, saying: “They are a first line of defence because they’re there. But we’ll help them out.”
Trump also expressed hope that the talks with Zelenskyy could lead to a trilateral meeting with Putin. “I think if everything works out well today we’ll have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.”
Trump added: “I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we’re going to have a phone call right after these meetings today – and we may or may not have a trilat.”
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy went more smoothly than their first encounter in the Oval Office six months ago, when the Ukrainian leader was ambushed and berated by Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.
This time, doubtless to the relief of European leaders who gathered for a second meeting at the White House, Zelenskyy gave Trump effusive thanks for the invitation and the pair even shared good-humoured banter while Vance remained silent.
Later, sitting with Keir Starmer and other European leaders in the east room, Trump acknowledged: “All of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace. Maybe something like that could happen. As of this moment, it’s not happening.”
But some of the European allies refused to accept defeat on the issue, mindful that the lack of ceasefire buys Putin more time to wage his war of aggression. On Monday, Ukraine said Russian attacks on major cities had killed at least 10 people, including a toddler and her 16-year-old brother in Kharkiv.
Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, insisted that “we would all like to see a ceasefire” and he could not imagine the next meeting taking place without one.
“Let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia – because the credibility of these efforts we are undertaking today depend on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations,” Merz said.
Unmoved, Trump suggested that would be left to Zelenskyy and Putin: “Well, we’re going to let the president go over and talk to the president, and we’ll see how that works out.” He added: “And again I say it, in the six wars that I’ve settled, I haven’t had a ceasefire.”
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, also backed the idea of a “truce” as a “necessity,” adding: “We all support this idea.”
Monday’s meeting came after Trump met Putin in Anchorage and said that the onus would now be on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions that he said could end the war. Some commentators saw it as a damage limitation exercise after Trump was apparently swayed by Putin and began to echo his talking points.
The US president told his fellow leaders: “We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact – that means the war zone.”
But he also said Putin had accepted there would be security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace deal.
Trump said: “In a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine and this is one of the key points that we need to consider and we’re going to be considering that at the table, also who will do what essentially.”
Several of the leaders emphasised the importance of the security guarantees to deter Russia from attacking again. Macron said: “The first one is clearly a credible Ukrainian army for the years and decades to come.” Europe was also clear about carrying its “fair share” of the burden, he said, “so you can count on this as we can continue.”
Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, said: ‘We will talk about many important topics. The first one is security guarantees, how to be sure that it won’t happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace.”
Trump has made a habit of carrying out high-stakes diplomacy before the cameras with a series of leaders who arrive in the Oval Office to face reporters’ questions. Monday was no different.
Asked by a journalist if it would be the “end of the road” for US support for Ukraine if no deal is struck, Trump said it was “never the end of the road. People are being killed and we want to stop that. So I would not say it’s the end of the road … I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end.”
Trump added: “We’re going to make sure that if there’s peace, that peace is going to stay long-term … We’re not talking about a two-year peace and then we end up in this mess again.”
Zelenskyy outlined what he said his country needed to feel secure, which included a “strong Ukrainian army” through weapons sales and training. The second part, he said, would depend on the outcome of Monday’s talks and any guarantees European Union countries, Nato and the US would be able to offer to the war-torn country.
Trump declined to rule out sending US troops to Ukraine, noting it would be a discussion point with European leaders. “We’ll let you know that, maybe, later today. We’re meeting with seven great leaders of great countries, also, and we’ll be talking about that.”
He added: “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that. I think its very important to get the deal done.”
Zelenskyy’s charm offensive included presenting a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, for Trump’s wife Melania, who over the weekend wrote to Putin urging him to consider children impacted by the war.
In stark contrast to the acrimony in February, there were also lighter moments. Brian Glenn, a pro-Trump TV reporter, told Zelenskyy that “you look fabulous in that suit”. Glenn had asked the Ukrainian leader about his clothing during his last visit to the Oval Office, implying that his casual dress was disrespectful.
Trump jumped in, saying: “I said the same thing.” Turning to Zelenskyy, Trump said: “That’s the one that attacked you last time.”
“I remember that,” Zelenskyy said, before addressing Glenn: “But you are in the same suit … I changed, you have not.”
The European leaders held a preparatory meeting with the Ukrainian president in Washington on Monday morning, while Zelenskyy also met Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.
Zelenskyy described the talks at the White House as “very serious” and sought to flatter Trump by echoing his trademark “peace through strength” language.
But Trump had alarmed Kyiv and European capitals in recent days by repeating a number of Russian talking points.
Fiona Hill, a Russia expert former deputy assistant to the president, told Politico: “Trump has completely ceded narrative control to Putin. What Ukraine is just basically getting as a concession is for the Russians to stop fighting. And this is Putin’s way all the way through the 25 years of his presidency, which is: ‘I’m going to beat you up and my concession is that I stopped beating you up.’”