Following a meeting between Trump and Putin that failed to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump expressed satisfaction and reached out to Ukraine's President Zelensky. Both leaders agree on the need for a lasting peace over a temporary ceasefire. Trump has proposed a trilateral meeting with Putin, contingent on the success of an upcoming meeting in Washington. European leaders, including Sweden's Foreign Minister, emphasize the need for unwavering security guarantees for Ukraine.
Trump and Zelensky to Meet: Potential Invitation for Putin
Trump and Zelensky to Meet: Potential Invitation for Putin
Trump and Putin's meeting did not lead to a ceasefire in Ukraine. According to experts, Putin emerged as the winner after the talks.
Ten out of ten. That's how Donald Trump rated his meeting with Putin.
There was no ceasefire, but the U.S. President is still pleased after Friday's summit with Putin. Afterwards, he called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and that conversation also went well, Trump writes on Truth Social.
"Everyone agreed that the best way to end the terrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not just a ceasefire agreement, which often does not hold," writes the American President.
Zelensky: Long Conversation with Trump
The announcement comes shortly after Zelensky wrote on X that Trump called him after the meeting.
The leaders talked on the phone for an hour on Saturday, in a "long and substantive" conversation. After that hour, several European leaders joined the call.
Zelensky also confirms the trip to the U.S. that will take place on Monday.
"I am grateful for the invitation," he writes.
He also shares Trump's view that lasting peace is preferable to a ceasefire, he writes in another post.
"Our position is clear – a real peace must be achieved, a peace that is lasting and not just another pause between Russian invasions."
Trump has also opened up to a trilateral meeting with Putin – provided that Monday's meeting in Washington goes well.
"Next Time in Moscow"
It was around 9 PM Swedish time on Friday when the meeting between Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the U.S.'s Donald Trump began at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.
Trump clapped his hands before meeting Putin with a smile on his face on a red carpet rolled out in front of their respective planes.
The meeting lasted almost three hours.
Afterwards, Trump and Putin held a brief press conference.
Putin spoke for ten minutes and Trump for three. The two leaders thanked each other but had no clear announcements to make about any ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. The word ceasefire was not used at all.
– We are not quite there yet, says Trump.
During the press conference, Trump also said that he will "probably" meet Putin again very soon. The Russian President was quick to suggest a location.
– Next time in Moscow, replied Putin.
Then they left the podium without answering any questions from journalists.
Trump: Agreement on Land Swaps
After the press conference, Donald Trump gave a first interview with the conservative TV channel Fox News. The message from the President was that they had agreed on several details regarding land swaps and security guarantees in Ukraine, but without specifying what and how in detail.
Now Trump believes it is up to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to reach an agreement with Russia.
– Make a deal. Russia is a great military power, Ukraine is not. They are fighting against a war machine, said Trump in the interview with Fox News profile Sean Hannity.
Europe's Response: Unwavering Security Guarantees
Several European leaders, including EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and France's President Emmanuel Macron, issued a joint statement at lunchtime on Saturday.
They write that Trump has informed them of what was said during the meeting.
The leaders also welcomed the American President's efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
"We are clear that Ukraine must have unwavering security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. (...) Russia cannot have a veto on Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO," they write.
One of the leaders behind the statement is the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He praises Trump's actions in another comment, writes Sky News.
"President Trump's efforts have brought us closer to an end to Russia's illegal war than ever before," writes Starmer.
Sweden's Comment
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) comments on Saturday morning after the night's meeting in Anchorage.
In a comment to Expressen, she writes:
"The government will now engage in close dialogue with Ukraine and with European and transatlantic partners on the way forward. It is clear that pressure on Russia must increase to end the war and lay the foundation for a just and sustainable peace based on international law."
Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson (S) also believes that Sweden should increase pressure on Russia. She is also critical of the outcome of the meeting.
– The only result that seems to have been achieved is that Putin – a wanted war criminal – gets to come into the American warmth and stand side by side with the American President. It is clear that this is a great success for Putin, she says.