MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Monday endorsed holding a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to reach a peace agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
"I think if everything goes well today, we'll have a trilateral meeting, and I think there's a reasonable chance we'll end the war when we do," the Republican magnate said to Zelensky from the Oval Office.
In this regard, Trump has urged working with both kyiv and Moscow to reach an agreement that will end the fighting on the Ukrainian front. "We're going to have a lasting peace. I hope it's immediate. I hope they don't have to continue (the attacks)," the US president argued.
He also advocated for a broader peace agreement rather than a shorter truce. "I like the concept of a ceasefire for one reason: because it immediately stops killing people," he said, reiterating that he hopes the attacks will cease.
For his part, Zelensky said that Ukraine "is ready" to hold a trilateral meeting. "I think we have shown that we are strong people and we support the idea of the United States, and President Trump personally, to stop this war," he emphasized in statements to the press.
The Ukrainian president has called for the provision of more weapons to kyiv, primarily Patriot batteries, through a program funded by European allies, amid an increase in attacks by Moscow. "We appreciate this program and this opportunity," he said.
On the other hand, when asked about security guarantees for kyiv, Trump explained that this point is still under negotiation with NATO allies, but that Washington will "be involved" in the process. "We're going to discuss it today, but we will provide them with very good protection and security," he argued.
The Republican tycoon also announced that he will hold a telephone conversation with Putin after meetings he will hold later in the day with Zelensky and the group of European leaders accompanying him, including French President Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump, who held a summit in Alaska with Putin on Friday, praised his Ukrainian counterpart at one point in the press conference for wearing a black suit amid criticism of his usual military attire. In the room with the two leaders were US Vice President JD Vance; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
At the beginning of the meeting, Zelensky shared a letter from his wife, Olena, to US First Lady Melania Trump, after she had made the same gesture to Putin in a letter calling for an end to the conflict for the sake of the children.
Long gone is the meeting between Trump and Zelensky in February, where the US president berated the Ukrainian for not accepting the peace terms proposed by Washington, which do not include a Russian withdrawal from the Ukrainian territories under its control. The two met face to face last April after that clash that highlighted the rift between the two sides.
