The last meeting between the two leaders had been an explosive one.
- Mr Trump said Ukraine, the US and Russia could have a trilateral if the meeting with Mr Zelensky went well
- The two leaders were cordial - in stark contrast to their bust-up in February
- Mr Zelensky also thanked Mr Trump for his efforts to stop the war
Days after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House to discuss a path for the resolution of the conflict between the two countries.
The last meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky at the same venue in February was an explosive one, with the US president and Vice President JD Vance cornering the Ukrainian leader about what they termed a "lack of gratitude" and telling him that he "did not have the cards" in the conflict. Mr Zelensky had left the White House shortly after, without signing the mineral rights deal which was one of the main reasons for his visit.
Five months on, all eyes were on how the two leaders would react to meeting at the site of the last confrontation, and initial signs were encouraging. After receiving Mr Zelensky outside the White House, Mr Trump greeted him with a warm handshake and also put his arm around his shoulder.
Dressed in a 'military-style' suit after Mr Trump had remarked about his informal attire during the previous visit, Mr Zelensky thanked the US President's wife, Melania, for her letter to Mr Putin on the plight of children in the war and asking him to protect their innocence. Mr Zelensky also gave Mr Trump a letter written by his wife, Olena Zelenska, for Melania Trump.
Addressing the US president, Mr Zelensky said, "Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war."
To a question on a possible resolution to the war, which began in 2022, Mr Trump said there is a "reasonable chance" of ending it.
"If everything goes well today, we will have a trilateral (with Mr Putin) and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that... People are being killed, and we want to stop that... I know the president (Zelensky), myself and, I believe, Vladimir Putin want to see it ended," he said.
The Ukrainian president welcomed the idea of a trilateral and said his country needs US and European support to bring the war to an end.
Ceasefire?
Commending Mr Zelensky's suit in a light-hearted moment, Mr Trump then stuck to an apparent change of heart that he had after his meeting with Mr Putin and said a ceasefire was not necessary.
"I don't think you need a ceasefire. If you look at the six deals I settled this year, they were all at war, I did not do any ceasefire. I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand, strategically, why one country or the other wouldn't want it. You have a ceasefire and they rebuild and rebuild, and maybe they don't want that... We can work a deal where we are working on a peace deal while they are fighting... I would like them to stop but, strategically, that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other," he said.
Phone Call With Putin
Asked about his discussions with Mr Putin, Mr Trump said he would speak to the Russian president after his meeting with Mr Zelensky and a subsequent meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and others, who had gone to the White House to support the Ukrainian president.
"I just spoke to President Putin indirectly and we are going to have a phone call after these meetings today. We may or may not have a trilateral. If we don't the fighting continues, if we do, we have a good chance of ending it. He's expecting my call," the US president said.
