Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the United States on the 18th (local time) to discuss war termination plans with President Donald Trump.
After receiving the results of the U.S.-Russia summit from President Trump on the 16th, President Zelensky noted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "I will meet President Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss all the details to end the slaughter and the war," and added, "Thank you for the invitation."
He has previously returned home after being scolded by President Trump when he visited the White House in February for the signing of a mineral agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine. This time, he is returning to Washington at Trump's invitation.
President Zelensky expressed support for President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, reiterating the demand for a trilateral summit including Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Yuri Ushakov, an adviser on foreign policy to the Kremlin, drew a line during a state TV interview, stating, "The trilateral meeting involving Ukraine was not discussed in the recent U.S.-Russia summit."
On his way back to the White House after a summit with President Putin in Alaska, President Trump called Ukrainian President Zelensky, leaders of various European countries, the President of the European Commission, and the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to explain the results of the talks. President Zelensky reported that he spoke with Trump for 1 hour and 30 minutes, during which the first hour was a one-on-one conversation before other leaders joined.
In the currency exchange, President Trump stated, "President Putin prefers a comprehensive agreement to end the war rather than a simple ceasefire," and said, "A quick peace agreement is better than a ceasefire," according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
European leaders had been in favor of declaring a ceasefire first and then negotiating issues such as territorial disputes in sequence, but President Putin reaffirmed in a joint press conference that "the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated," reiterating Ukraine's position of renouncing NATO membership. He added, "I hope Ukraine and Europe will not hinder new advancements through behind-the-scenes plots or provocations."