New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced that he will meet U.S President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss steps toward ending the war with Russia, a day after Trump’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska concluded without a ceasefire agreement.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Zelensky said he had a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump following the Alaska meeting, which he described as a crucial moment for Ukraine’s future. “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,” Zelensky wrote.
According to him, what began as a bilateral call with Trump later expanded into a wider conference call that included key European leaders. “The call was later joined by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,” Zelensky said.
Trump, in his own post on Truth Social, confirmed the upcoming meeting at the White House. “President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., Oval Office, on Monday afternoon,” he wrote, adding, “If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.” He further stressed, “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.”
The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, held on Friday, ended without any breakthrough on halting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While no deal was reached, Trump described the encounter as a “very good one,” noting that both sides wanted peace but that major differences remained unresolved.
Zelensky’s comments marked his first reaction to the summit, underlining his determination to secure tangible results from his talks with Trump. “I will do everything to ensure that we achieve real peace for Ukraine,” he said.
The war, now stretching into its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has killed thousands and uprooted millions, with no clear end in sight.