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President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump in the Oval Office.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
Will there be a peace deal for Ukraine?
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and seven European leaders met with President Trump at the White House yesterday for crucial talks on ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said he would call President Vladimir Putin of Russia following the White House talks to discuss whether to hold a U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting that could lead to a peace deal. Follow the latest updates.
Inside the Oval Office, Zelensky and Trump showed few signs of their once-frayed relationship. They talked positively about a U.S. role in security guarantees for Ukraine — one of the most complex issues under discussion — to ensure that Russia does not restart the war after they agree to a peace deal.
Here’s a look at the key issues that came up:
Security guarantees: Trump said that the U.S. would give Ukraine “very good protection and very good security,” but he did not provide specifics. He noted that the U.S. would help in some way and did not rule out involving American troops. Asked what kind of security guarantees Ukraine wanted, Zelensky said: “Everything.”
Land swaps: After his meeting with Putin in Alaska last week, Trump appeared to support land swaps as part of a peace deal. Trump said yesterday that the leaders would discuss “the possible exchanges of territory” and take into consideration the current “war lines.” In his remarks, Zelensky told Trump, “Thank you for the map, by the way,” an indication that the land swap issues were debated in detail.
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Trilateral meeting: Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his desire for a meeting with Trump and Putin, but the Kremlin has not agreed to one. “If everything works out today, we will have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war if we do that,” Trump said.
Takeaway: “Significantly, the two most contentious issues — a possible cease-fire and territorial concessions — were left unresolved,” my colleague Michael Schwirtz, who covers Russia, Ukraine and global security, told me. “Both Trump and Zelensky suggested that discussions of a possible cease-fire, along with negotiations over territory, should be conducted in the as-yet hypothetical face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin, possibly with Trump in attendance. Trump, backed by Zelensky, has said he would like such a meeting to come together quickly. The Kremlin, however, has been silent on the issue.”
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