President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to discuss ending the war with Russia.
The meeting came after Trump sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the White House seeks to broker a peace deal between the two nations.
During a joint press conference, a reporter and Trump praised Zelensky for wearing a black suit. Many of Zelensky’s critics have slammed him for failing to wear appropriate attire while visiting the White House.
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy joke about his wardrobe choice for this meeting after he was criticized for his choice during their last White House meeting. pic.twitter.com/HM4OkLIdXY
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 18, 2025
Zelensky also thanked Trump for his “personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war.” He also thanked Melania Trump for sending a letter to Putin asking him to work toward an end to the violence in Ukraine. Zelensky presented a letter from his wife to Melania.
NOW — Pres. Zelenskyy presents his wife's letter to Melania Trump, thanking her for standing up for the children. ❤️
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 18, 2025
"Thank you very much for your efforts to stop the killing and stop this war...Thank you to our partners...for supporting us...thank you to them, and thank you." pic.twitter.com/MEZCybpsCM
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Zelensky if he is “prepared to keep sending Ukrainian troops to their deaths for another couple of years” or whether he will “agree to redraw the maps?”
Putin has repeatedly stressed that he wants Ukraine to cede the Donbas region to Russia as a condition of ending the war. “First of all, we live under each day's attacks. You know that today there have been a lot of attacks and a lot of wounded people,” the Ukrainian president responded.
NOW—@pdoocy asks Zelenskyy if he is prepared to continue to fight or be willing to redraw maps.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 18, 2025
Zelenskyy: "We need to stop this war, to stop Russia...We support the idea of @POTUS to stop this war, to make diplomatic way of finishing this war..We are ready for trilateral talks" pic.twitter.com/omIgiA9tDS
President Trump did not rule out sending US troops to Ukraine to maintain peace if a deal is reached, according to CNN.
The fact President Donald Trump didn’t immediately rule out sending US troops into Ukraine to maintain an eventual peace is a significant development.
The US’ role in so-called security guarantees for Ukraine is at the center of today’s talks at the White House.
Trump said the issue would be discussed later today with other European leaders and hinted there may be additional information on the topic soon.
Even though he said European nations would take the lead in any security guarantees, his apparent openness to allowing American troops — “There’s going to be a lot of help,” he said — is a new development.
Trump was elected in part on a promise to keep American troops out of foreign conflicts, and even some members of his own administration have advocated for a vastly reduced US role in the Ukraine war.
To be sure, Trump didn’t commit to anything in his remarks. But the fact he didn’t take the option off the table could signal a shift in approach as he seeks an end to the war.
Trump also indicated that he would have a phone call with Putin directly after the meeting concluded. "I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we're going to have a phone call right after these meetings today," he said.
It is expected that Trump will attempt to set up a trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin as the next step.