After Alaska summit, Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington on Monday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, days after Trump held a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. 

According to the White House, Trump had a “lengthy call” with Zelenskyy on his way back to Washington, and later spoke to NATO leaders about the discussions.

Taking to X, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the invitation and said they had a long and substantive conversation. “President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation,” he wrote.

Trilateral talks on table

After the Alaska summit, Trump said both Putin and Zelenskyy want him to be part of the discussions and he “will be there.” Reacting to his remarks, Zelenskyy backed the idea of a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia.

“Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this. On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, DC, to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation,” he added.

According to foreign media report, Trump told Zelenskyy a “fast pace deal was better than a ceasefire.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte were also on the call.

Peace deal over ceasefire

Trump has shifted his stance, saying an overall peace agreement — and not a ceasefire — should be the next step in ending the 3 1/2-year-old war. His reversal, aligning with Putin’s long-held position, came in a social media post on Saturday, hours after the summit concluded without a breakthrough.

“It was determined by all that 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, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted.

European leaders, while welcoming Trump’s engagement, did not explicitly endorse the peace-over-ceasefire approach. In a statement, they said they “welcomed President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace.”