President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders were unable to agree on a security guarantee for Ukraine on Monday as part of a deal to end its war with Russia but said they were hopeful of reaching an agreement.
After nearly all-day talks at the White House, Mr. Trump said on social media that the meetings were “very good” and that he was working to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called it “a very good early step for a war that has been going on for four years.”
Mr. Trump did not provide any specifics about the discussions or the outcome. Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that any foreign troops from NATO members providing security in Ukraine would be “unacceptable” and would be considered an “escalation” of the war.
Emerging from the White House meetings, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said security guarantees for Ukraine were still under discussion.
“We will work on those over the coming days,” he told Fox News. “We have to discuss more details.”
He said the participants did not discuss the deployment of troops from NATO members, including the U.S., in Ukraine. Mr. Rutte called the sessions at the White House “a very successful day.”
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After the White House meeting, Mr. Trump spoke with Mr. Putin about face-to-face talks with Mr. Zelenskyy at an undetermined location. Mr. Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet with Mr. Putin, and Mr. Trump struck an optimistic tone about potential talks.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a trilat, which would be the two presidents plus myself,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Everyone is very happy about the possibility of peace for Russia/Ukraine.”
The European leaders spoke positively about the meetings. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the discussions exceeded his expectations. The consensus was that progress was made, but a security agreement remained a sticking point.
Mr. Merz said all the European nations should participate, but he declined to commit German troops.
“This is not just about the territory of Ukraine,” he said. “It’s about the political order of Europe.”
Mr. Rutte said the Trump administration offered little clarity about an American role in a security guarantee for Ukraine but added that the U.S. was willing to get involved, which he called a “breakthrough.”
“What it will exactly mean, U.S. involvement, that will be discussed in the coming days,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Zelenskyy said security guarantees include plans for Ukraine to purchase $90 billion in American weapons through Europe and for the U.S. to buy drones from Ukraine. He said a formal agreement still needed to be finalized.
Mr. Trump hosted his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House for the first time since their highly contentious meeting in February, when he warned Mr. Zelenskyy that he held “no cards” in a losing war. This time, however, Mr. Zelenskyy was accompanied by a host of European leaders who backed Kyiv’s positions amid unrelenting pressure from the Trump administration for more territorial concessions to Moscow.
The leaders who attended were Mr. Merz, Mr. Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Mr. Merz said later that he expected the Zelenskyy-Putin meeting within two weeks.
The tone for the meeting between Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Trump was more congenial than in February, when their White House meeting crumbled into a shouting match on live TV and alarmed European allies. Mr. Trump had torn into the Ukrainian president, scolding him for being ungrateful for U.S. support and saying he was unable to end the war on his own.
This time, Mr. Zelenskyy profusely thanked Mr. Trump during a polite 20-minute conversation.
“Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. He thanked Mr. Trump roughly a dozen times.
The issue of “security guarantees” for Ukraine loomed large over the daylong meetings. All the European leaders seem to be in lockstep about the need to back Ukraine’s defenses under any potential peace deal to deter Russian aggression in the future. European officials had warned ahead of the meeting that Mr. Putin would try to seize more territory in Ukraine without a robust security agreement.
The European leaders also urged Mr. Trump to pressure Mr. Putin to agree to a ceasefire as an initial step toward a more comprehensive peace deal. After his meeting Friday with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump abandoned his push for a ceasefire.
Earlier Monday, Mr. Trump and some European leaders predicted that a security agreement would be negotiated before the day was over.
One possibility floated by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff would be a guarantee based on Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states that an attack on one of the 32 members of the trans-Atlantic alliance would be considered an attack on all. That promise has been the cornerstone of security in Europe since NATO’s formation in 1949, deterring direct aggression against its members.
Under Article 5, any NATO member can assist the attacked country with any action it “deems necessary,” though it does not require the member to use military force.
The proposal would have Ukraine cede some territory to Moscow, including the areas already occupied by Russian forces, and then Europe and the U.S. would protect Ukraine’s newly defined border to prevent a second invasion.
Russia strongly opposes Ukrainian membership in NATO, viewing it as a threat to its own security.
Mr. Witkoff said the Russian president was open to the NATO-like security proposal during his meeting with Mr. Trump in Alaska on Friday.
On Monday, Mr. Trump did not rule out the idea of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to keep the peace in the war-torn country as part of a security guarantee.
“We’ll let you know that, maybe later today,” Mr. Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy.
Mr. Trump’s refusal to rule out the idea of U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine would be a major shift in his policy toward Ukraine. Earlier this year, the Pentagon announced that it was not changing its stance on its refusal to send troops to Ukraine.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Mr. Trump ran on the promise of keeping American troops out of foreign conflicts. Some members of his Cabinet, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have advocated for a vastly reduced U.S. role in the Russia–Ukraine war.
Mr. Trump said Europe would take the lead in protecting Ukraine under a security deal but the U.S. would have an undefined role.
“They are the first line of defense, because they’re there, Europe, but we are going to help them out,” Mr. Trump said. “Also, we’ll be involved.”
Mr. Trump discussed with the European leaders a land swap along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia. Although European leaders seemed on board with the security guarantee, none of them mentioned that Ukraine’s territorial lines would need to be redrawn.
“The fact that you have said, ‘I’m willing to participate in the security guarantees’ is a big step, is really a breakthrough, and it makes all the difference,” Mr. Rutte told Mr. Trump.
Mr. Macron echoed the sentiment. He said Ukraine can “count on” France for a security guarantee.
Mr. Zelenskyy has estimated that 100,000 troops would be required to ensure peace in Ukraine. Britain and other European nations have pledged to send troops to Ukraine within a week of a ceasefire being declared.
While Mr. Trump was meeting with the European leaders, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued its statement opposing the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any security guarantees. The statement raised questions about Mr. Witkoff’s characterization of Mr. Putin as amenable to the deal.
“We reaffirm our repeatedly stated position of categorical rejection of any scenarios involving the presence of a military contingent from NATO countries in Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly pressed for security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure Russia won’t agree to a deal and then invade again. When asked by a reporter what kind of security guarantees he wanted, Mr. Zelenskyy replied, “Everything.”
Mr. Trump has shifted his position on the war in Ukraine after he met with Mr. Putin. Before the summit, Mr. Trump had pushed for a ceasefire and threatened severe consequences for Russia if it didn’t move to end the fighting.
Mr. Trump has dropped his proposal for a ceasefire and is pushing for a full peace agreement, which has been Mr. Putin’s preferred position. Mr. Trump also said he sees no immediate need for new sanctions.