Trump promises “very good” protection for Ukraine, does not rule out US forces to be deployed – UPDATE: Russia

US President Donald Trump hosted his Ukrainian counterpart and European leaders Monday for highly anticipated talks aimed at reaching a unified position on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Very good protection for Ukraine, says Trump

Trump and Zelenskyy signaled optimism in brief remarks before reporters as they prepared to head into hours of closed-door meetings. The scene was a marked departure from the Oval Office meltdown that transpired when Zelenskyy first visited in February amid Trump’s push to end the war, the Turkish Anadolu News Agency wrote.

For his part, Trump signaled a willingness to provide Ukraine with US security guarantees as part of any prospective peace deal, saying the matter will be discussed during Monday’s sit-down.

“We’re going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security. That’s part of it. And the people that are waiting for us, they are, I think they’re very like-minded,” Trump said, referring to the European leaders who earlier arrived at the White House.

“They’re all here from Europe, biggest people in Europe, and they want to give protection. They feel very strongly about it, and we’ll help them out with that. I think it’s very important to get the deal done,” he added.

Among the officials who are participating in the talks are UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is also slated to participate.

US forces can be deployed in Ukraine

Trump did not rule out sending US forces to Ukraine as part of a potential security guarantee, saying: “We’ll let you know that, maybe later today.”

Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his “personal efforts” to end the Kremlin’s war, and signaled an openness to taking part in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We are ready for trilateral. As President (Trump) said, this is good signal about trilateral. I think this is very good,” he said.

Trump has sought to portray the proposed three-way meeting as the next step in his efforts to end the Russian war after meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. While Trump and Putin each signaled progress towards a peace deal, details on what the leaders agreed to have been scarce.

Trump to speak with Putin

Trump said he spoke to Putin “indirectly” before heading into discussions with Zelenskyy and the European leaders, and said he would speak by phone with the Russian leader “right after” Monday’s meetings conclude.

Asked if Monday’s meetings represent the “end of the road” for US support for Ukraine, Trump said that is not the case.

“It’s 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. No, I think we have a good chance of doing it,” he said.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine open to elections, seeks security guarantees from US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv is ready to hold elections once “safety is guaranteed” and stressed that military backing and security guarantees from the US are crucial for a peace deal with Russia. “Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts, to stop killings and stop this war,” Zelenskyy told Trump during their talks in the Oval Office.

Ukraine is prepared for a “diplomatic way of finishing this war,” he said. Taking to a question from a reporter, Zelenskyy underlined that elections could be held “if safety is guaranteed.” “We are open for election. We have to do safety circumstances … to make possible for people to do democratic, open legal elections,” he said.

On security guarantees, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s needs involve both strengthening its own forces and long-term US commitment. “Nobody in Europe has so many air defense (systems) like Patriots (missiles), for example. We need it very much,” he said, adding that guarantees would include “a strong Ukrainian army … weapon, training, intelligence” as well as broader US involvement.

Trilateral talks

He also welcomed the idea of trilateral talks involving him, Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it “a very good signal.” Trump is engaged in a series of high-stakes meetings aimed at shaping a potential peace roadmap for Ukraine.

On Friday, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in the first encounter between US and Russian leaders since the war began in 2022. After talks with Zelenskyy in Washington, DC, Trump is set to join European leaders for further discussions on Ukraine’s future and possible security arrangements.

Russia warns against NATO troop deployment in Ukraine

Russia on Monday said any scenario involving the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine would be “categorically unacceptable” for Moscow and could sharply escalate the conflict.

Zelensky: territorial issues later

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said “territorial issues” will be on the agenda of an upcoming trilateral meeting involving Russia, the US, and European leaders, stressing that President Donald Trump is working to organize the talks. “What is very important is that all the sensitive things — territorial, etc. — we will discuss on the level of leaders during the trilateral meeting,” he said.

Macron and Merz: ceasefire, quadrilateral format

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday backed calls for an urgent ceasefire in Ukraine, stressing that future trilateral talks between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv must produce tangible steps to stop the bloodshed.

“We all would like to see a ceasefire (at) the latest from the next meeting on. I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire. So let’s work on that and put pressure on Russia,” Merz said, urging that the next session be held in a trilateral (US-Ukraine-Russia) format.

The French president added that the talks should eventually expand to a quadrilateral format to address Europe’s broader security architecture.

At the same White House meeting, Trump suggested that an immediate cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia could be declared.

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