Vladimir Putin has agreed to face-to-face talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a peace deal in Ukraine, according to Donald Trump and European leaders, although Moscow has not confirmed the meeting.
The potential breakthrough came after a day of tense diplomacy at the White House in which Trump ruled out a ceasefire while Zelenskyy and his allies pushed for US-backed security guarantees as part of any long-term agreement. The Ukrainian president said that security guarantees for Kyiv would be “formalised” within 10 days.
Trump’s initial conversation with Zelenskyy went more smoothly than their first encounter six months ago. Zelenskyy gave Trump effusive thanks and the pair shared good-humoured banter. After meeting European leaders, Trump wrote on Truth Social about discussions on security guarantees and which would be provided by European countries. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the talks did not include Kyiv surrendering territory to Russia.
