Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he was willing to meet directly with Putin to end the war.
Speaking to reporters after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and several European leaders at the White House, Zelensky said he was ready for what would be his first face-to-face with Vladimir Putin since the start of the war.
“I confirmed–and all European leaders supported me–that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin,” Zelensky said following the summit.
Ahead of the White House meeting, Trump had pushed Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining NATO–both key demands made by Putin.
Rather than concessions from Ukraine, the summit focused on arranging security guarantees in the event of a peace deal, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters afterwards.
Zelensky said the plans for Ukraine’s security would be set out on paper within the next week to ten days.
He also pointed to a U.S. military package forming part of the guarantees, centred on aircraft and air defence systems.
