Key takeaways from Ukraine ceasefire talks in Washington

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to the White House on Monday to meet US President Donald Trump for Ukraine ceasefire talks in Washington.

Several European leaders also upended their plans to attend the meeting, days after Trump met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a summit that failed to yield a ceasefire.

Some statements from the leaders at the Ukraine ceasefire talks in Washington;

Trump said the leaders would discuss “who will do what” as part of security guarantees for Ukraine and signalled a resolution would be reached. Trump also said “possible exchanges of territory” to end the war is up for discussion. Looking ahead, Trump said he would call Putin later today to set up a trilateral meeting between himself, the Russian leader and Zelensky.

Zelensky said Ukraine ceasefire talks have been “constructive” and they discussed “sensitive matters, including security guarantees”

UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said security guarantees and a trilateral meeting with Russia, Ukraine and the US would be a “historic” step forward

German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, stressed the need for a ceasefire before any meeting with Russia, telling Trump: “Let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia”

French President, Emmanuel Macron echoed Merz’s calls for a ceasefire and described the talks as a matter of security for all of Europe

Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni said one of the most important questions is “how to be sure that it won’t happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace”

Nato Secretary General, Mark Rutte said the allies should push for an end to the targeting of Ukraine’s infrastructure

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen called for the return of abducted Ukrainian children to be a top priority, adding: “As a mother and grandmother, every single child should go back to its family”

Finnish President, Alexander Stubb said he “might come from a small country, but we have a long border with Russia” and that he felt there had been more progress made on Ukraine in two weeks than in the past three years

Here are the key takeaways from the Ukraine ceasefire talks in Washington;

Zelensky launches charm offensive

As a result of his last visit to the Oval Office in February, the Ukrainian president went to considerable lengths to be collegial and charm his American hosts, including a flurry of six “thank yous” within the first few minutes of the meeting.

The last time he was at the White House, Zelensky was scolded by Vice President JD Vance for a perceived lack of gratitude for US support for Ukraine during the war.

Another point of contention in February’s meeting – Zelensky’s attire – also made a return.

This time, Zelensky was dressed in a dark suit rather than his traditional military garb, and appeared well prepared with a joke when asked about his outfit by the same reporter who had previously criticised him for not wearing a suit to the Oval Office.

After the reporter told him that he looked “fabulous”, Zelensky shot back that he was wearing the “same suit” as last time, eliciting laughter from the reporters, Trump and other officials in the room. “As you see, I changed,” he added.

The pair presented a warmer front on Monday, with comedian-turned-politician Zelensky joking about their first, acrimonious meeting

Trump hints at security guarantees

One of the questions put to Zelensky was about what he would need from the US to guarantee his country’s security. Was it troops, intelligence, equipment?

In a moment that conveyed the sense of urgency he seemingly tried to suppress throughout much of the press conference, Zelensky leaned forward in his chair and said, emphatically: “Everything.”

“We need a strong Ukrainian army,” he added. “It’s about weapons, people, training missions and intelligence.”

Pressed on this by reporters, Trump made several references to security guarantees for Kyiv.

He said that Europe would be the “first line of defence” for Ukraine, but promised to also be “involved”.

“We’ll give them good protection,” the president said at one point.

This is the most decisive Trump has ever sounded on the issue of security guarantees, which are generally seen as paramount to any sort of deal with Russia.

On Monday, the US president said that during last week’s Alaska summit, Putin had accepted that there would be security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace deal.

But the lack of detail on what exactly these guarantees might consist of is concerning to both Kyiv and Europe, and behind closed doors, leaders will no doubt try to impress on Trump that the US deterrent needs to be more than just symbolic.

A continued flow of weapons to Ukraine would be welcome; a promise of American boots on the ground would be even more consequential.

Such a level of commitment may be difficult to obtain, at this stage, from the US.

But the fact that Trump did not rule it out altogether will give Ukraine and its allies hope that he could be persuaded.

European leaders step in

The Ukraine ceasefire talks drew European leaders, many of whom rushed to the US after Trump’s inconclusive summit with Putin in Alaska.

Their presence reflected urgent concerns in Europe that Ukraine must not be pushed toward a settlement that looks like capitulation.

Behind closed doors, European officials are expected to press Trump to ensure that any US guarantees are more than symbolic, stressing that a continued flow of arms and firm deterrence measures are critical to Ukraine’s survival.

Opportunity for a trilateral meeting

One of Trump’s much-touted objectives is to organise a three-way meeting with Zelensky and Putin.

Before his talks with European leaders on Monday, he said it was now a matter of “when, not if” such a meeting would take place.

While this may be an easier endeavour than defining the terms of a peace deal, it will by no means be straightforward.

European leaders also travelled to the White House on Monday to discuss a path towards ending the war
For months, Zelensky has been pushing to meet Putin. This was likely a way of proving his argument that Russia is not serious about pursuing peace, as he knew that Putin had no interest in agreeing to a meeting of this sort.

Indeed, the Kremlin has repeatedly turned this down and two weeks ago argued that the Russian and Ukrainian presidents had no reason to meet until “after the appropriate distance” between the positions of the two countries is “overcome”.

Trump will be hoping that distance is now being bridged by his mediation efforts.

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