Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Monday for talks with President Donald Trump, after the American leader’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Mr Trump said after the meeting in Alaska on Friday that there had been “some great progress” on ending the war in Ukraine, without offering any details.
In a subsequent interview with Fox News, he raised the possibility of holding another summit, which would include Mr Zelenskyy, and suggested the next move towards peace would have to come from Kyiv.
“Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done, and I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelenskyy. And if they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting,” he said.
Mr Trump briefed the Ukrainian president and other European leaders on his talks with Mr Putin during his flight back to Washington.
Mr Zelenskyy said he held a “long, meaningful” conversation with Mr Trump in a phone call lasting 90 minutes, first one-on-one and then joined by European leaders.
“We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, America and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the leadership level, and the trilateral format is suitable for this,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.
“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 said.
“It is important that Europeans are involved at all stages for the sake of reliable security guarantees together with America.”
European leaders later issued a statement expressing support for a three-way summit between the Ukrainian, Russian and American presidents but insisted that pressure should be kept on Moscow.
A statement signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, insisted on maintaining pressure on Russia until peace is achieved, including through sanctions.
“We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,” the leaders said.
The European leaders also insisted Moscow “cannot have a veto” on Ukraine joining the EU or Nato. Russia has said it will not tolerate Kyiv's membership of the defence alliance. But the leaders said they were “ready to work … towards a trilateral summit with European support”.
The French presidency later announced that France, Britain and Germany would host a video call on Sunday of countries in the “coalition of the willing” supporting Ukraine.
After he spoke to Mr Zelenskyy and European leaders, Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social that there was consensus that the best way to stop the fighting in Ukraine is to work towards a final peace deal rather than a ceasefire agreement, which he said “oftentimes does not hold up”.
“The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European leaders, including the highly respected secretary general of Nato,” he said.
“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.”
He said he would meet Mr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday afternoon and that “if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin”.
Before the Alaska summit, Mr Trump said had said that a ceasefire would be his key demand from the Russian President at their summit. He also threatened to walk out of the meeting and to impose new tough punitive measures if it was not met.
When asked about this by Fox News, Mr Trump said that "because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now".
In a second Telegram post on Saturday, Mr Zelenskyy said he had told Mr Trump that sanctions on Russia should be increased if a trilateral meeting did not materialise or if Moscow tried to avoid “an honest end to the war”.
“We need a real peace that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” he said.
“Pressure on Russia must be maintained as long as aggression and occupation continue.”
He also called for the release of all military and civilian prisoners held by Russia.
The initiatives in Alaska to move a peace process forward were welcomed by the UAE on Saturday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the efforts of Mr Trump and Mr Putin "represent a source of hope for promoting global peace and stability''.
"The UAE considers the summit an important step toward strengthening international peace and security and fostering a climate of trust in Europe," it said in a statement.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, said that dialogue was the best way to end conflict.
‘’The international system aspires to stability and the cessation of wars, with dialogue being the optimal path to resolving conflicts. The prolonged Ukrainian war has exacerbated instability and claimed thousands of lives,” Dr Gargash said in a post on X.
“The UAE, with its wise diplomacy, has played a pivotal role in 16 prisoner exchange mediations between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the release of more than 4,300 prisoners.
“We hope that President Donald Trump's efforts will succeed in achieving a ceasefire and peace.”
