After inconclusive Alaska summit with Putin, Trump to host Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday

Before departing Alaska, Trump had told Fox News that responsibility for advancing peace could “fall more on Zelenskyy to get it done,” while also suggesting a role for European nations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Saturday, announced he will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, following Trump’s high-profile but inconclusive summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Zelenskyy told reporters that he had a “long, meaningful” phone call with Trump, after the U.S. president’s meeting with Putin produced no agreement to end the war in Ukraine.

The Alaska talks marked Putin’s first visit to Western soil since the 2022 invasion; however, they ended without a breakthrough.

Also Read | Trump–Putin Alaska talks: Everything they said, and didn’t say, on Ukraine | Full breakdown

Trump, who hosted Putin with full state-like honours, insisted there was still “nascent progress,” though he cautioned that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

Putin claimed the two leaders had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to undermine the process.

Before departing Alaska, Trump had told Fox News that responsibility for advancing peace could “fall more on Zelenskyy to get it done,” while also suggesting a role for European nations.

Upon landing in Washington, Trump did not address reporters. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said he had been on calls with NATO and European leaders after his extended conversation with Zelenskyy.

According to the European Commission, Trump also spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump said he had a great and successful day in Alaska. "The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO," he wrote.

"It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved," he added.

Even as diplomacy faltered, Russia continued its strikes on Ukraine in the meantime.

Kyiv’s Air Force reported overnight attacks involving one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, 61 of which were shot down. Front-line regions, including Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Chernihiv came under fire.