Another major talking point is on security guarantees. Trump says security guarantees for Ukraine would be "provided" by European countries with "coordination" by the US. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told the BBC that the UK negotiators will shortly be arriving in Washington for further planning on this.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of American troops helping to guarantee peace between Ukraine and Russia should the leaders reach an agreement.

Zelenskyy and Trump expressed hopes that talks with Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House could lead to trilateral talks with Putin to bring an end to his war on Ukraine.

"They are ‘STUPID’ people, with no common sense, intelligence, or understanding," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In a shift, Trump now aligns more closely with Putin than allies in Europe in calling for final talks before a ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and begun to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a critical step toward bringing a possible end to Russia's war on Ukraine.

President Donald Trump on Sunday night declared that Kyiv would not be regaining Moscow-annexed Crimea, nor would it be allowed to join NATO.