Donald Trump has welcomed Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House but appeared to rule out arranging a ceasefire as part of plans to try to end the country’s war with Russia.
The US president’s meeting with Zelenskyy on Monday went more smoothly than their first encounter in the Oval Office six months ago, when the Ukrainian leader was ambushed and berated by Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.
This time, doubtless to the relief of European leaders gathered at the White House, Zelenskyy gave Trump effusive thanks for the invitation and the pair even shared good-humoured banter while Vance remained silent.
But the US president, who only last week warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if President Vladimir Putin failed to agree to a ceasefire at their summit in Alaska, made clear that he had reversed his position.
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Asked about the potential for a ceasefire, Trump referred to other conflicts which he claimed to have ended, telling reporters: “I don’t think you’d need a ceasefire. If you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war – I didn’t do any ceasefires.
“I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand, strategically, one country or the other wouldn’t want it. You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild and, you know, maybe they don’t want that.”
He added: “I like the concept of a ceasefire for one reason, because you’d stop killing people immediately, as opposed to in two weeks or one week, or whatever it takes. But we can work a deal, we’re working on a peace deal while they’re fighting.”
Monday’s hastily assembled meeting came after Trump met with Putin in Anchorage and said that the onus would now be on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions that he said could end the war.
Trump has made a habit of carrying out high-stakes diplomacy before the cameras with a series of leaders who arrive in the Oval Office to face reporters’ questions. Monday was no different.
Asked by a journalist if it would be the “end of the road” for US support for Ukraine if no deal is struck, Trump said it was “never the end of the road. People are being killed and we want to stop that. So I would not say it’s the end of the road … I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end.”
Trump added: “We’re going to make sure that if there’s peace, that peace is going to stay long-term … We’re not talking about a two-year peace and then we end up in this mess again.”
Related: Zelenskyy’s European ‘bodyguards’: which leaders will join Trump talks in Washington?
He also expressed hope that their talks, which will also involve Keir Starmer and other European leaders, could lead to a trilateral meeting with Putin. “I think if everything works out well today we’ll have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.”
Zelenskyy said: “We are ready for trilateral.”
Trump added: “I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we’re going to have a phone call right after these meetings today – and we may or may not have a trilat.”
Zelenskyy outlined what he said his country needed to feel secure, which included a “strong Ukrainian army” through weapons sales and training. The second part, he said, would depend on the outcome of Monday’s talks and any guarantees European Union countries, Nato and the US would be able to offer to the war-torn country.
Trump declined to rule out sending US troops to Ukraine, noting it would be a discussion point with European leaders. “We’ll let you know that, maybe, later today. We’re meeting with seven great leaders of great countries, also, and we’ll be talking about that.”
He added: “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that. I think its very important to get the deal done.”
In stark contrast to the acrimony in February, there were also lighter moments. Brian Glenn, a pro-Trump TV reporter, told Zelenskyy that “you look fabulous in that suit”. Glenn had asked the Ukrainian leader about his clothing during his last visit to the Oval Office, implying that his casual dress was disrespectful.
Trump jumped in, saying: “I said the same thing.” Turning to Zelenskyy, Trump said: “That’s the one that attacked you last time.”
“I remember that,” Zelenskyy said, before addressing Glenn: “You see I changed; you are not.”
The European leaders held a preparatory meeting with the Ukrainian president in Washington on Monday morning, while Zelenskyy also met Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.
Zelenskyy described the talks at the White House as “very serious” and sought to flatter Trump by echoing his trademark “peace through strength” language.
But Trump had alarmed Kyiv and European capitals in recent days by repeating a number of Russian talking points.
He said on Sunday that Zelenskyy could end the war “almost immediately, if he wants to” but that, for Ukraine, there was “no getting back” Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and “NO GOING INTO NATO”.
Fiona Hill, a Russia expert former deputy assistant to the president, told the Politico website: “Trump has completely ceded narrative control to Putin. What Ukraine is just basically getting as a concession is for the Russians to stop fighting. And this is Putin’s way all the way through the 25 years of his presidency, which is: ‘I’m going to beat you up and my concession is that I stopped beating you up.’”
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