Zelenskyy to travel to Washington for talks with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Donald Trump, after the US president's summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin failed to bring an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

"On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington DC, to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation," Zelenskyy said on X.

He said he spoke to Trump on Saturday in a call that lasted for more than an hour and a half, and that they were joined after an hour by European and NATO officials.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that a trilateral meeting with the Russian and US leaders is crucial to finding a way to end the full-scale war launched by Russia in February 2022.

Trump this week voiced the idea of such a meeting, saying it could happen if his bilateral talks with Putin were successful.

"Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this," Zelenskyy said on X.

The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly underlined the importance of security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any deal, to deter Russia from launching a new invasion at some point in the future.

"We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security," Zelenskyy said after his call with Trump.

Meanwhile, a group of European leaders on Saturday jointly pledged to continue support for Ukraine and to maintain pressure on Russia following the summit.

The joint statement was from European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, after they were briefed by Trump on his talks with Putin.