U.S. President Donald Trump has invited several European leaders to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks at the White House on Monday, according to a report by the New York Times citing European officials.
The planned meeting follows Trump’s face-to-face summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday — the first direct talks between American and Russian leaders since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022. Trump described that encounter as “warm,” while Putin called it “frank” and “substantive.” Both expressed cautious optimism that the meeting could mark a step toward ending the conflict.
Zelensky confirmed on Saturday via social media that he would travel to Washington, with Trump later publicly confirming the visit. The NYT reported that Trump intends to present a plan requiring Kyiv to cede parts of Russian-occupied Donbass still under Ukrainian control, in exchange for Moscow halting hostilities along the existing front line.
The Ukrainian president has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions, insisting that peace cannot come at the cost of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Following the Alaska summit, leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Poland, and the European Union issued a joint statement voicing readiness to “work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support.”
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov noted, however, that Russia and the U.S. have not yet discussed a potential three-way meeting involving Putin.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that European governments must be more engaged in the peace process, saying Ukraine’s backers should “put up or shut up” rather than leave Washington to negotiate alone.
The flurry of diplomatic activity underscores Trump’s effort to position himself as a central broker in the war, even as Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on the core question of territorial control.
