President Donald Trump met Monday with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and seven other European leaders to discuss a potential settlement for ending the Russia–Ukraine war. The summit follows Trump’s meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday, and potentially sets the stage for direct talks between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia over a future peace.
One result of the summit was an agreement to proceed to further talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to Trump, the next step will be a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin—which could take place within two weeks, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz—followed by a trilateral meeting with Trump.
Other topics of discussion on Monday included the vital question of security guarantees, which will be necessary for the signing of any durable peace deal. One of the common points of agreement seems to have been that the Europeans will contribute security forces to Ukraine’s defense after a deal is signed, with the U.S. playing a supporting role. “When it comes to security, [the Europeans are] willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially… by air, because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.”
While Trump has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine—a condition Russia is very likely to require—NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested that its Article 5 collective defense condition might serve as a model for Ukrainian security guarantees. “What we are discussing here is not NATO membership, what we are discussing here is Article 5 type of security guarantees for Ukraine and what exactly they will entail,” he said during an interview on Fox News.
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