Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday following Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Russia Today reported Sunday that Zelenskyy has rejected Trump’s push for a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, insisting that a ceasefire must be in place before negotiations on a broader settlement can begin.
Zelensky delivered the remarks on Sunday at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is set to accompany him to Washington for talks with Trump on Monday, RT.com noted.
The Ukrainian leader said Moscow has put forward “many demands” regarding the conflict’s resolution and emphasized that Kyiv must be fully informed of them before moving forward.
Trump spoke with Zelensky and European leaders while aboard Air Force One returning home from his first face-to-face meeting with Putin since his first term, The Hill reported.
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Saturday.
“President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin,” he added.
Zelensky signaled his support for a trilateral meeting between the three leaders in a post on X.
“President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion,” the Ukrainian leader wrote. “It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation.”
“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation,” he added.
The president has also invited European leaders to his meeting with Zelensky, a White House official told NewsNation.
Trump met Friday in Alaska with Putin to discuss a possible ceasefire more than three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
The president said progress was made, but no agreement was reached. He offered few details on the conversation.
Trump had previously said the Alaska meeting was meant to set the table for a follow-up summit that would include Ukraine in any final decisions about territory.
Monday’s meeting will mark Zelensky’s first visit to Washington since an Oval Office clash earlier this year in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized the Ukrainian leader for not showing gratitude for U.S. support.
Trump, in recent weeks, has voiced sharper frustration with Putin over his attacks on Ukrainian cities and has threatened “severe consequences” if a deal is not reached.
But on Friday, he also said the two men maintain a “fantastic relationship.”
Putin made a rare public switch to English on Friday to invite U.S. President Donald J. Trump to Moscow for the next round of peace talks, following their high-profile summit in Alaska.
“We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” Trump said at a joint press conference. “Today’s agreements will help us restart pragmatic relations.”
The summit closed on a symbolic note when Putin, speaking in English, told Trump: “Next time in Moscow.”
“That’s an interesting one,” Trump replied with a smile. “I’ll get a little heat for that one. But I can see it possibly happening.”
Putin praised the discussions as “constructive” and thanked Trump for what he called a “friendly” and “results-oriented” approach. He suggested the talks could “start us on the path towards a resolution in Ukraine” and repeated his claim that there would have been no war if Trump had been president when the conflict began.