Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared headed for a peace summit after rapid talks Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders centered on long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
Hopes of a breakthrough rose after Trump said he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin – whom he met in Alaska last week – following a "very good" meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.
It would be the first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders since Moscow's brutal invasion nearly three and a half years ago and comes as Trump tries to live up to his promise to end the war quickly.
Trump, 79, wrote on his Truth Social network that "everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine."
"At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky," Trump said.
