Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that he will travel to Washington, D.C., on Monday for high-level talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as efforts intensify to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine following Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the meeting would focus on “all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war,” adding that he was “grateful for the invitation.” The announcement comes days after Trump’s talks with Putin ended without delivering an immediate breakthrough to halt the conflict, now in its third year.
Zelenskyy revealed that he had held a call with Trump lasting more than 90 minutes on Saturday. The two leaders were later joined by senior European and NATO officials for part of the discussion.
According to Zelenskiy, the talks touched on the possibility of security guarantees for Kyiv, which he has consistently argued must be included in any settlement to prevent Russia from mounting future attacks.
The Ukrainian president has long pushed for a trilateral meeting involving Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, insisting that only such direct engagement could pave the way toward a durable peace. Trump floated the idea earlier this week, suggesting it could take place if his bilateral discussions with Putin proved constructive.
“Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,” Zelenskyy reiterated in his statement.
The Washington visit is expected to test whether Trump’s personal diplomacy with Putin can be expanded to include Ukraine, potentially shaping the course of negotiations to end the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Written By Rodney Mbua
