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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Tuesday that he is ready for bilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after high-level talks at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders. The meeting is expected to take place in the next two weeks
"As I said, we are ready for any format at the leadership level. Because we can only solve all these complex and painful issues at the leadership level," Zelenskyy told reporters after the White House meeting, according to Ukraine-based RBC-Ukraine agency.
"For this reason, I confirmed that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin, and I was supported by all European leaders, and then I expect a trilateral meeting," he added.
The announcement came after Trump hosted Zelenskyy along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed the specific timeframe following the White House talks, stating that he came to support Zelenskyy and protect Europe's common interests.
"A break was taken, and during this time the U.S. President spoke by phone with the Russian President, and it was decided that a meeting between the Russian President and the Ukrainian President would take place within the next two weeks," Merz said at a press conference.
The location for the summit has not yet been determined, Merz added, noting uncertainty about whether Putin would "dare to attend such a summit."
"For this reason, persuasion efforts are needed," Merz said, emphasizing that negotiations could only proceed with Ukraine's participation and that such a summit could only take place if a cease-fire is achieved.
When asked about expectations for the planned Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, Merz said he could not say anything at present but underlined that a ceasefire must be achieved in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Merz conveyed that Zelenskyy had expressed that a meeting with Putin without a ceasefire would be "unthinkable" for him.
"Secondly, comprehensive preparations must be made for such a summit," Merz added.
Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine's security guarantees would be formalized within seven to 10 days, including a $90 billion weapons purchase package from the United States.
"Security guarantees will probably be announced to our partners. All of this will remain on paper, and next week, within 10 days, the details of the security guarantees will be formalized in some way," Zelenskyy told New York Post reporters.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that security guarantees were "an important starting point and key issue" for ending the war.
"We appreciate the important signal that the U.S. is ready to support and be part of these guarantees," Zelenskyy said.
Trump announced on his Truth Social account that the meeting with European leaders went very well, listing each leader by name and describing it as a productive discussion.
"The meeting that started in the East Room ended with a meeting in a different format in the Oval Office," Trump wrote.
"During the meeting, we discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine to be provided by various European countries in coordination with the U.S. Everyone is very pleased with the possibility of peace for Russia/Ukraine," he added.
Trump confirmed he called Putin after the meetings. "Preparations have begun for a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy at a location yet to be determined. After this meeting takes place, we will hold a trilateral meeting with the two presidents and myself," he stated.
The U.S. president noted that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Representative Steve Witkoff have begun working on arranging the meeting, calling this step "very important" for ending the war.
Trump had previously met with Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska, announcing that no final agreement had been reached at that time.
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