Trump gives Zelensky tough love as president delivers map of territory Ukraine must give

President Donald Trump presented Zelensky with a map depicting the territory currently under control of Russia in Ukraine.

Since the start of the four-year war, Russian military forces have gained control of nearly 20 per cent of the country.

The map presented in the Oval Office has the area controlled by Putin shaded in pink.

Putin has demanded control of the remaining territory of the Donbas in order to sign a peace agreement with Zelensky.

Russia currently holds a vast majority of the Donbas territory, as well as control over large areas in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

President Donald Trump paused his meeting with European leaders to call Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An EU diplomat told Reuters that Putin and Trump talked by phone as the meeting with European leaders was paused.

The talks were set to continue after the call, according to sources.

The phone call between Putin and Trump was first reported by Germany’s Bild newspaper.

Trump lauded Macron, who was seated to his right, on a day when he met with European leaders as well as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in an effort to try to bring the brutal war in Ukraine to an end.

‘Everyone knows President Macron of France,’ Trump said while going around a table in the East Room of the White House and providing generous introductions of European leaders who raced to Washington to buttress Zelensky in negotiations.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a new post on X.

‘It’s curious to see the similarities between the people close with Donald Trump,’ Pelosi’s post began.

‘On one hand, we have Vladimir Putin who has ordered the kidnapping of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children and uses the rape of women as a weapon of war. This conduct is eerily similar to the moral depravity of Trump’s other friend Jeffrey Epstein.’

‘With his close relationships to both men, it’s no surprise that Trump won’t release the Epstein files and wants Ukraine to cede land to Putin,’ she continued.

Trump shared that he expects Russia will soon release hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners.

‘I think you’ll see that President Putin really would like to do something also,’ Trump said on Monday.

‘I know there’s over 1,000 prisoners, and I know they’re going to release them. Maybe they’re going to release them very soon, like immediately, which I think is great.’

The president added that a peace agreement is ‘very attainable.’

In a hot mic moment on Monday, President Donald Trump appeared to be reassuring French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about making peace in Ukraine.

‘I think he wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me,’ Trump whispered to Macron in the East Room before their meeting started. ‘Do you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.’

Trump had invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to the White House on Monday to discuss what he had talked about with Putin three days before.

The president had flown to Anchorage, Alaska, to meet with Putin – marking the first time an American leader was face-to-face with the Russian president since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

While Trump billed the Alaska gathering as an ‘extremely productive meeting,’ he did not get Putin to agree to a ceasefire, with the Russian leader resistant to stopping the fighting, saying the Russians still needed to ‘eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict.’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged President Trump and President Zelensky to accept a ceasefire.

‘Let’s try to put pressure on Russia, because the credibility of this effort, these efforts we are undertaking today, are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations, from next step on,’ Merz said at the White House.

‘I would like to emphasize this aspect, and would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting, which should be a trilateral meeting, wherever it takes place.’

His comments came after Trump poured cold water on a ceasefire before the Republican walked that back and advocated for a pause in hostilities.

President Trump flip-flopped on the necessity of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Monday.

After previously calling a ceasefire ‘unnecessary,’ Trump later changed tune and said he would hope for such a scenario.

‘All of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace,’ Trump later told a different group of reporters, per the AP.

Trump said he would support a ceasefire because it could ‘immediately stop the killing.’

As reporters were ushered out of the White House East Room on Monday, Donald Trump was overheard chatting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Stubb was surprised at the influx of reporters in the room before Trump was heard complimenting his competitive golfing abilities.

‘You deal with this every day?’ Stubb was heard asking Trump.

The Italian PM interjected, saying ‘But he loves it, he loves it… I never want to talk with [the media].’

Signaling to Stubb, Trump told Meloni ‘he’s a very good golfer you know.’

‘I know, I know. But he says you always win,’ Meloni replied.

The lighthearted exchange offered a brief moment of levity as the leaders gathered in Washington for high-stakes talks.

French president Emmanuel Macron told Trump that Europe needs to be involved in future peace talks between Putin and Zelensky.

Trump noted during the White House meeting with the European delegation on Monday that he plans on setting up a trilateral meeting between the Ukranian and Russian leader.

Macron noted that a representative of Europe needs to have a seat at the table with Putin to discuss ‘security’ for the continent.

‘I think as a follow up, we would need probably a quadrilateral meeting. Because when we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent.’

Take a look at the moment below:

Following the closed-door Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelensky, the Ukranian leader said their conversation was the ‘best.’

Zelensky was flanked by leaders throughout Europe as he spoke to reporters in the White House on Friday, describing his recent talks with Trump as ‘the best one.’

Trump noted that following his talks with Europena allies he will call Russian President Vladimir Putin to schedule a trilaterial meeting with Zelensky.

‘We spoke about very sensitive points,’ added Zelensky.

‘We had very good conversation and it really was the best one — maybe the best one will be in the future. But it was really good.’

President Donald Trump did not smile while standing for a photo with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The photo opportunity occured right after a closed-door meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office. A delegation of European leaders participated in the photo.

The pair discussed moving forward in the peace process with Russia.

Take a look at the moment below:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war.

During an Oval Office meeting with Trump on Monday, Zelensky took questions from the press regarding security gurantees he wants for Ukraine.

The Ukraine leader noted in his answer that he is ready to sit down with Putin for a trilateral meeting mediated by Trump.

‘First, a strong Ukrainian army that I began to discuss with your colleagues, and it’s a lot about weapons and people and training issues and intelligence.’

And second it will, we will discuss with our partners. It depends on the big countries, on the United States, on all of our friends.

President Donald Trump did not rule out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to enforce security gurantees.

During the president’s meeting in the Oval Office with Zelensky, a reporter asked Trump if U.S. troops would be used to enforce security gurantees for Ukraine as part of the peace process with Russia.

Trump did not rule out the idea of using U.S. troops to enforce the peace agreement, while also indicating European leaders are willing to contribute towards the security gurantee.

‘And we’ll help them out with that,’ Trump noted.

Volodymyr Zelensky met Donald Trump on Monday for crunch talks on the war in Ukraine in the wake of the U.S. president’s historic summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week.

Trump heralded ‘great progress’ with his Russian counterpart as they emerged from their face-to-face meeting on Friday, but the exact details of what was said has remained closely guarded.

Sources familiar with the talks said that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk, industrial oblasts straddling the Donbas region. Russia would then agree to freeze battle lines as they lay. Zelensky was said to have rejected the demands.

As the Russian advance continues, Putin’s designs on Ukraine have hardened, not relaxed. Trump on Sunday shrugged that Zelensky should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea

Ukraine President Zelensky responded to a question about exchanging Ukranian territory in order for peace with Russia.

Inside the Oval Office, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Zelensky if he’s ‘prepared to keep sending Ukranian troops to their deaths for another couple of years, or are you going to agree to redraw the maps?’

Zelensky responded by reaffirming his commitment to working with Trump to achieve peace in the region.

President Donald Trump refused to say if today’s meetings at the White House will result in a Ukraine peace deal.

As he sat next to Zelensky in the Oval Office on Monday, a reporter asked the president the following: ‘Is today’s meeting deal or no deal?’

Trump responded, ‘I can never say that. It’s never the end of the road. People are being killed and we want to stop that. So, I would not say it’s the end of the road.’

Trump will call Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after his private meeting with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office ends.

‘He’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting,’ Trump said.

He said he would raise the idea of a trilateral meeting between the himself and the conflicting world leaders.

‘We may or may not have a trilat. If we don’t have a trilat, then the fighting continues, and if we do, we have a good chance — I think if we have a trilat, there’s a good chance of maybe ending it’ he continued.

Putin thanked Trump for a ‘constructive’ meeting last week in Alaska, despite the two being unable to reach a ‘major breakthrough’ on the war in Ukraine.

The leaders met for approximately 2.5 hours behind closed doors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday.

After the meeting concluded, Trump and Putin delivered a brief joint press conference, exchanging pleasantries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wore more formal attire on Monday for his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.

The Ukrainian president wore a ‘suit-style’ black jacket over a buttoned up black collared shirt, a step up from the black military sweater that he wore to his ill-fated meeting in February.

Noticeably, the Ukrainian leader was not wearing a tie for his meeting with Trump/

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky opened his meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office by praising Melania Trump.

Last week, the first lady penned a personal ‘peace letter’ to Vladimir Putin asking him to protect innocent children in the Ukraine war.

Although the first lady did not attend the Alaska summit on Friday, the letter was given to Putin via President Donald Trump.

Zelensky thanked the first lady and presented Trump with a letter from his wife, Ukraine First Lady Olena Zelenska, penned for Melania.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted by President Trump at the White House ahead of their meeting.

The pair are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office to discuss Trump’s latest Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and an overall peace deal.

Zelensky wore a ‘suit-style’ black jacket over a buttoned up black collared shirt, but stopped short of wearing a full suit and tie.

Trump pointed out Zelensky’s upgraded attire approvingly and put his arm around him.

Members of Trump’s delegation, such as Steve Witkoff, have claimed that Russia is open to allowing U.S. and European security guarantees for Ukraine.

Previously, Zelensky has stated a potential peace agreement with Russia would not include the transfer of territory not currently occupied by Russian troops.

‘We need real negotiations, which means they can start where the front line is now,’ Zelensky told reporters in Brussels on Sunday. ‘The contact line is the best line for talking.’

Meanwhile, Trump in the early hours of Monday said Zelensky should forgo trying to get back Crimea and gain NATO membership.

‘President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!’ Trump said.

Take a look at the moment below:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have already rejected President Donald Trump‘s terms for a peace plan with Russia as the two leaders prepare for an Oval Office showdown.

Unlike on his previous visit, Zelensky will be backed by the UK’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who will all join him in Washington. Trump posted a dramatic statement that claimed Zelensky could ‘end the war with Russia almost immediately’ – which the Ukrainian leader rebuked within 90 minutes.

President Donald Trump will be joined by some of his top diplomatic officials for his upcoming meeting with Zelensky.

A White House official told Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich that Trump’s upcoming Oval Office will also include the following: Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Chief of Staff Wiles, Special Envoy Witkoff, and Special Envoy Kellogg.

Meanwhile, Zelensky will be flanked by his top advisers, including the head of President’s office Andriy Yermak, national security adviser Rustem Umerov, first deputy foreign minister Serhiy Kyslytsya, and Deputy head of President’s Office Pavlo Palisa.

Unexpected, last-minute gatherings of world leaders at the White House are exceedingly rare.

Most diplomats interviewed by CNN over the weekend struggled to recall another instance when presidents and prime ministers abruptly cleared their schedules to rush to Washington for urgent talks.

According to European officials, the move underscored both the urgency leaders feel in coordinating with President Donald Trump on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and their concern about being left out of the process.

French president Emmanuel Macron was greeted at the White House on Friday afternoon to discuss ending the Ukraine war.

Macron is one of the leading members of the European delegation set to meet with Trump ahead of his talks with Zelensky.

Take a look at the moment below:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived to the White House for his meeting with Trump.

The pair along with the entire European delegation plan to discuss a potential peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb joined the other members of the European delegation at the White House.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was greeted at the White House as she prepares to meet with President Donald Trump.

Meloni is apart of the European delegation seeking to discuss with Trump his latest talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding ending the war in Ukraine.

The Italian leader was greeted at the White House by U.S. chief of protocol Monica Crowley.

Take a look at the moment below:

U.K Prime Minister joined other European leaders at the White House ahead of Trump-Zelensky meeting later today.

The upcoming meeting inside the Oval Office comes following a summit last week in Alaska between Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The president is working on outlining a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.

Starmer was greeted at the White House by US chief of protocol Monica Crowley.

In a video recorded by the British PM on the flight to Washington D.C., Starmer said peace between Ukraine and Russia was in the best interest of Europe.

‘This war in Ukraine has been going on a really long time now, three plus years,’ he said.

‘We’ve got to get this right. We’ve got to make sure there is peace, that it is a lasting peace, and that it is fair and that it is just, and that’s why I’m travelling to Washington with other European leaders to discuss this face to face with President Trump and President Zelenskyy, because it’s in everyone’s interests,’ he added.

Take a look at the moment below:

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived at the White House on Friday afternoon to meet with President Donald Trump.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived to the White House ahead of the Friday afternoon meeting with Donald Trump.

In June, Ruttew was forced to backtrack on an embarrassing remark where he apparently called Trump ‘daddy.’

Rutte said that ‘daddy has to use strong language’ to get Israel and Iran to sort things out, to which Trump agreed.

‘You have to use strong language. Every once in a while you have to use a certain word,’ the president said.

But the NATO chief’s comments raised eyebrows across the world, and later in the day Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands, was forced to backtrack.

He said: ‘The daddy thing, I didn’t call [Trump] daddy, what I said, is that sometimes… In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, “hey, Mark, will the US stay with us?”

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink revealed that she resigned back in April because Trump’s first meeting with Zelensky ended in ‘disaster.’

Trump and Zelensky had a falling out in front of cameras at the Oval Office in February. Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance, accused the Ukraine leader of not being grateful for U.S. support.

‘The last Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting was a disaster – and one of the reasons I resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine,’ Brink wrote on X.

‘We need to stand with democracies, and against dictators. This is what makes America strong.’

First Lady Melania Trump penned a personal ‘peace letter’ to Vladimir Putin asking him to protect innocent children in the Ukraine war.

Although the first lady did not attend the Alaska summit on Friday, the letter was given to Putin via President Donald Trump.

She asked Putin to ‘protect the innocence of these children’ and ‘strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all.’

‘Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.’

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Washington, D.C. on Monday morning ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump over his summit with Vladimir Putin.

Starmer, along with other European allies, will discuss with Trump how to move forward in the peace process with Russia as they look towards ending the war in Ukraine.

After arriving to DC, the British leader ignored questions from reporters as he shuffled into his vehicle.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Trump’s Special Representative for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, in Washington D.C. on Monday ahead of the European leaders meeting at the White House.

Following the meeting, the Ukranian leader thanked the General on X, saying:

‘We discussed the battlefield situation and our strong diplomatic capabilities – Ukraine’s and all of Europe’s together with America. Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen.’

Kellogg also took to the social media platform to agree that the pair had a ‘great discussion’ before the White House sit-down.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko claimed Vladimir Putin is engaging in peace talks with Trump so he can continue fighting in Ukraine without any punishments.

‘Putin wants to have a “blah blah blah” about a peace progress, because he can continue [his war] without any limits,’ Poroshenko told CNN.

Poroshenko served as president of Ukraine in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The former Ukraine leader demanded Putin agree to a ceasefire in order to engage in peace talks.

‘A ceasefire means, “Stop killing innocent Ukranian civilians.” A ceasefire means, “Stop losing time.” A ceasefire is an extremely important step for launching the peace progress.’

President Donald Trump raged at the Wall Street Journal after the outlet claimed he ‘rolled out the red carpet’ for Vladimir Putin after their high-stakes meeting in Alaska on Friday.

Just before he was set to welcome European leaders to the Oval Office, Trump took to Truth Social to voice his disdain for the negative media coverage on the meeting.

The officials started arriving at the White House to meet with him shortly after the rant.

They hope to put pressure on the president to ensure Putin agrees to a ceasefire before a peace deal with Ukraine can go through.

‘I’ve settled 6 Wars in 6 months, one of them a possible Nuclear disaster, and yet I have to read & listen to the Wall Street Journal, and many other who truly don’t have a clue, tell me everything that I am doing wrong on the Russia/Ukraine MESS, that is Sleepy Joe Biden’s war, not mine.’

‘I’m only here to stop it, not to prosecute it any further. It would have NEVER happened if I was President. I know exactly what I’m doing, and I don’t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them.’

‘They are “STUPID” people, with no common sense, intelligence, or understanding, and they only make the current R/U disaster more difficult to FIX. Despite all of my lightweight and very jealous critics, I’ll get it done — I always do!!! President DJT’

A Ukranian designer predicted that Volodymyr Zelensky will appear in a more formal attire ahead of his meeting with Trump.

‘Tomorrow he most likely will not appear in a polo,’ said Ukrainian designer Elvira Gasanova to Fox News Digital. ‘I think he will choose a black military suit or a military-style shirt with trousers — perhaps a jacket.’

During his last meeting in the Oval Office, Zelensky’s attire reportidely angered Trump. Gasanova suggests the Ukranian leader will have ‘a more serious look — though less symbolic.’

‘After the recent ‘no suit’ drama, he will likely approach this question differently.’

As Trump prepares to host Ukranian and European leaders at the Oval Office, his former vice president is demanding he get tougher with Vladimir Putin.

During a Sunday CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Pence claimed Trump usually handles dictators with a ‘velvet glove’ but siad ‘the hammer needs to come, and it needs to come immediately.’

‘The combination of engagement, but also making it clear to Putin that we are prepared to take actions that would literally break his economy even while we redouble our commitment to the security of Ukraine.’

‘We can’t allow Vladimir to run out the clock on the war… the sanctions ought to be on the president’s desk.’

President Donald Trump raged at Democrats and ‘Fake News Media’ for critiszing his handling of the Russian-Ukraine war hours before he set to welcome European leaders to the White House.

Trump claimed that even if he convinced Russia to handover Moscow and St. Petersburg that the media and Democrats would still criticize him.

I am totally convinced that if Russia raised their hands and said, “We give up, we concede, we surrender, we will GIVE Ukraine and the great United States of America, the most revered, respected, and powerful of all countries, EVER, Moscow and St. Petersburg, and everything surrounding them for a thousand miles, the Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners would say that this was a bad and humiliating day for Donald J. Trump, one of the worst days in the history of our Country.”

But that’s why they are the FAKE NEWS, and the badly failing Radical Left Democrats. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!

President Donald Trump’s entire day is filled with back-to-back meetings with Ukranian officials and leaders all across Europe.

Following his dramatic summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump is expected to relay his discussions with the Russian leader to U.S. allies.

European leaders, such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, will arrive to the White House at 12pm ET.

Trump will then greet Zelensky at 1PM ET for a bilateral meeting set for 1:15pm ET.

At around 2:00pm ET, Trump will greet European leaders before taking a photo with the entire delegation at approximately 2:30pm ET.

The day will end with a multilaterial meeting with European leaders at 3pm ET.

Following the White House meetings, Zelensky will be interviewed by Fox News anchor Bret Baier at 6pm ET.

Vice President JD Vance will attend Monday’s meeting in the Oval Office with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky is set to meet President Donald Trump at the White House following the Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin.

Vance famously had a dramatic blowup with Zelensky after claiming the Ukranian president was ungrateful for U.S. aide during the war.

Donald Trump made an unusual gesture by inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to ride along with him in the Beast, the presidential limo, before Friday’s peace meeting.

Footage appeared to show Putin smiling as he rode along with Trump during their only alone time at the start of the summit.

On Russian state media, Natalia Kosikhina, a Russian senator, said that the car ride showed a ‘high level of mutual trust.’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday outlined what would lead to a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement.

‘These are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on. These are things that the Ukrainian side is going to have to agree to,’ Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures.

‘The minute you put additional sanctions on him [Putin]… peace talks are no longer possible.’

He added, ‘If one side gets everything they want, that’s not a peace deal. It’s called surrender.’

President Donald Trump’s most-trusted foreign envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to ‘robust’ security gurantees ahead of a potential peace agreement.

During a Sunday interview on CNN, Witkoff said that the Russian leader signed off on a possible collective defense of Ukraine gurantee by the US and European allies.

‘We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,” said Witkoff.

He added that the Russian delegation vowed to a ‘legislative enshrinement’ of a promise not to invade Ukraine or another European country if all parties agree to a peace plan.

Members of the Russian delegation did not mention these pledges following the Alaska peace summit.

The White House asked Ukrainian officials if Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky would wear a suit to the meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, according to a report from Axios.

During Trump’s last Oval Office meeting with Zelensky, the Ukranian leader’s outfit was a major issue for the president.

Back in June, Trump met Zelensky, who was wearing a black jacket, at a NATO summit.

Zelesnky will reportidely come to the White House later today in the same jacket, according to Axios.

Vladimir Putin appeared to ‘spook’ members of Donald Trump‘s team after the two leaders met in Alaska on Friday, some observers have claimed.

The two leaders hammered out the beginnings of a Ukraine peace deal at the summit, with Putin securing concessions on a ‘land swap’ that would see vast swathes of Ukraine become Russian.

And today the U.S. President is expected to try and pressure Zelensky into accepting the deal in crunch talks at the White House that will also be attended by European leaders.

At last week’s Pursuing Peace summit, Russian president Vladimir Putin said he is interested in ending the war in Ukraine at his joint press conference with Donald Trump.

‘I agree with President Trump, as he has [said] today, that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well,’ Putin said.

‘Naturally, we are prepared to work on that I would like to hope that the agreement that we’ve reached together will help us bring closer to that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.’

Putin said on Friday that having a good relationship with Trump makes him confident that ‘we can come to see the end of the conflict in Ukraine.’

In February, President Donald Trump abruptly halted peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and kicked President Volodymyr Zelensky out of the White House after a blistering Oval Office shouting match between the two leaders.

It proved an extraordinary day at the White House, which saw Zelensky walk out of the West Wing and slip into his SUV following an explosive encounter with the president.

He was driven away under a flood of camera lights and left dozens of unanswered questions.

The unprecedented scene left Ukraine’s future in doubt as the country fights for its life.

Today, Zelensky will be back at the White House for the first time since the disastrous showdown earlier this year.

Donald Trump said he made ‘some headway’ during his 2.5-hour-long meeting with Vladimir Putin last week.

‘We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,’ Trump said, ‘We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.’

In an extremely uncharacteristic move, Trump allowed Putin to speak first – at what had been billed as a bilateral press conference – and then didn’t answer a single question before shaking hands with Putin again and sauntering offstage.

Their whole appearance before the press lasted just 12 minutes following more than three hours of private conversation.

President Trump is set to host Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House today following last week’s Alaska summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Several other European leaders will travel to Washington D.C., including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The meeting comes amid Trump’s intensified efforts to reach a peace agreement in the ongoing three year Russia-Ukraine war.

Earlier, Trump took to Truth Social to post several messages hitting out at ‘fake news’ for calling his upcoming White House meeting with world leaders a ‘big loss.’

He also posted a cryptic message overnight directed toward Zelensky, months after their disastrous Oval Office meeting that had the Ukrainian leader fleeing the White House without a deal.

‘President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,’ said Trump.

‘Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!’