U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington could seek to negotiate an end to the Ukrainian crisis without requiring a cease-fire to pause the fighting, as he welcomed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for high-stakes talks on a possible peace deal with Russia.
"I don't think you need a cease-fire," Trump said.
"I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically why one country or the other wouldn't want it. You have a cease-fire and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild and you know maybe they don't want that."
Zelenskyy signals openness to 3-way meeting with Trump, Putin
Zelenskyy and Trump expressed hope that Monday's critical talks with Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House could lead to trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to Russia's war on Ukraine.
