The meeting follows Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin, where the Russian leader rejected a cease-fire and pressed Ukraine to cede territory.
President Donald Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, marking their first meeting since February’s contentious Oval Office encounter that ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave.
European leaders are due at the White House around noon, with Zelenskyy scheduled to arrive an hour later for a one-on-one meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. “I know exactly what I’m doing,” Trump said in a Truth Social post ahead of the meeting. “Despite all my lightweight and very jealous critics, I’ll get it done – I always do!!!”
The “big day at the White House,” according to Trump, comes just days after Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where Putin dismissed the prospect of a cease-fire and reiterated demands that Ukraine cede eastern territory in exchange for freezing the front lines.
Trump, who had previously warned Moscow to accept a cease-fire or face tougher U.S. sanctions, has since softened that stance. He wrote on Truth Social that Zelenskyy “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Trump also emphasized that Ukraine would have to give up Russia-annexed Crimea and step back from joining NATO.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it is open to a cease-fire but cannot agree to any territorial concessions. Zelenskyy would be looking to balance retaining U.S. political and military support while resisting pressure to accept Moscow’s terms. Ukraine’s allies, including leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and NATO, are accompanying him to Washington. However, none will be present during the Oval Office meeting.
The Trump administration has recently signaled openness to providing Ukraine with security guarantees. But Russia’s sweeping demands, including claims to land it has not yet captured, have increased uncertainty. Ukraine has always maintained that the country’s constitution does allow Zelenskyy to hand over land to Russia.
U.S. markets traded in the red during midday trade. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) edged 0.08% lower, while the Nasdaq-100 tracking Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) slipped 0.2% and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) was down 0.06%. Retail sentiment around the S&P 500 ETF slipped to ‘bearish’ from ‘neutral’ territory a day ago, while retail sentiment around QQQ improved to ‘bullish’ from the ‘neutral’ zone.
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