The Latest: Zelenskyy signals openness to three-way meeting with Trump and Putin

Here's the latest:

Russian envoy says Moscow hopes Trump meetings now will keep open the opportunity for peace

Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told U.N. reporters that “what everybody hopes” is that President Donald Trump’s meetings with Ukraine’s president and European leaders “will go in the same vein” as the U.S. leader’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday.

He said Trump acknowledged that his meeting with Putin opened “an opportunity for a long and lasting peace.”

“And we welcome very much such a scenario,” said Polyansky, who is Russia’s current charge d’affaires at the United Nations.

“We hope that the Ukrainian leadership will, instead of thinking about saving their own skin, think about their people who don’t want to fight and who are ready for peace -- fair, just and long-lasting peace,” he said. “That’s what Russia is trying to achieve in Ukraine for many, many years.”

Trump and Zelenskyy meeting privately

The leaders were holding closed-door talks after they made opening statements and answered questions from reporters who were admitted to the Oval Office to see them together.

A group photo of Trump, Zelenskyy and the European leaders will follow before everyone meets in the East Room to discuss how to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Monday’s Trump-Zelenskyy meeting has friendlier vibe than their last

It was only a few months ago that Trump and Zelenskyy last met in the Oval Office, but Monday’s face-to-face between the two leaders looked markedly different.

For much of their February exchange, during which Trump and Vance blasted Zelenskyy as “disrespectful” and warned about future American support, Zelenskyy crossed his arms and looked askance at the U.S. leaders. The presidents often spoke over each other, also gesturing disagreement.

Monday’s meeting was rounded out with more smiles and pleasantries between the two leaders, as well as agreement on some points regarding the ongoing war. Both men largely sat with their hands clasped in their laps, affably fielding questions from reporters.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine wants ‘everything’ as far as US security guarantees, Trump says they would get ‘very good protection’

The big topic of the Oval Office meeting Monday was what U.S. security guarantees Ukraine needs to agree to a peace deal and whether Trump would be willing to provide them. Zelenskyy outlined what he said his country needed to feel secure, which included a “strong Ukrainian army” through weapons sales and training. The second part, he said, would depend on the outcome of Monday’s talks and what EU countries, NATO and the U.S. would be able to guarantee to the war-torn country.

Trump stopped short of committing U.S. troops to the effort, saying instead that there would be a “NATO-like” security presence but that all those details would be hashed out in their afternoon meeting with EU leaders.

“They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that,” Trump said. “I think its very important to get the deal done.”

Vice President JD Vance makes no comments in public part of Zelenskyy meeting

Unlike the last time he was in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy, Vance made no comments during the public portion of Monday’s meeting.

Seated on a couch with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vance sat by as Trump and Zelenskyy interacted and took questions from reporters.

During February’s tense Oval Office meeting, Vance called Zelenskyy “disrespectful” for airing disagreements with Trump in public. Zelenskyy grew defensive, and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful, issuing stark warnings about future American support.

Trump says he’ll talk to Putin after these meetings

Trump said the Russian leader is “expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting” with Zelenskyy and the group of European leaders waiting at the White House.

Trump and Putin met in person on Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the war.

Trump needles Zelenskyy on elections and the 2028 election

As Zelenskyy answered a question about the difficulty of holding an election during Ukraine’s war with Russia, Trump appeared to jokingly hypothesize how a similar circumstance could allow him to stay in power in the U.S. past the expiration of his current term.

“So let me just say three and a half years from now — so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections, oh, I wonder what the fake news would say,” Trump said.

Zelenskyy noted the difficulties of being able to hold elections during wartime, saying that a “truce” would be needed to do so safely.

“We can do security,” Zelenskyy said. “We need ... a truce, yes, everywhere — the battlefield, the sky and the sea, to make it possible for people to do democratic open legal elections.”

Trump says security guarantees for Ukraine will be discussed

Zelenskyy wants security guarantees as part of any deal to end Russia’s war against his country.

Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, mentioned NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine as he was being interviewed on Sunday talk shows.

It’s on the meeting agenda.

“We’re going to be discussing it today,” Trump said. He said European leaders want to give Ukraine protection and the U.S. will participate.

Sartorial diplomatic progress

Brian Glenn, a conservative reporter, told Zelenskyy that “you look fabulous in that suit.” Glenn had asked the Ukrainian leader about his clothing during his last visit to the Oval Office, implying that his casual dress was disrespectful.

Trump jumped in saying, “I said the same thing.” Turning to Zelenskyy, Trump said “that’s the one that attacked you last time.”

“I remember that,” Zelenskyy said as laughter rippled through the room.

Trump declines to rule out sending US troops to the Ukraine war zone

Speaking in the Oval Office, he noted it will be a discussion point with European leaders today.

Asked if he would rule out such a deployment, the president said, “We’ll let you know that, maybe, later today. We’re meeting with seven great leaders of great countries, also, and we’ll be talking about that.”

“They’ll all be involved,” he added. “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help.”

Zelenskyy signals openness to three-way meeting with Trump and Putin

Zelenskyy’s assent came after Trump said the three leaders could meeting of Monday’s White House meetings go well.

“We are ready for trilateral,” he said.

Such a meeting would be held to negotiate an end to Russia war against Ukraine.

Despite earlier comments, Trump says both Zelenskyy and Putin have to want the war to end

Asked by a reporter if it is the “end of the road” for U.S. support for Ukraine if no deal is struck, Trump said its “never the end of the road.”

“People are being killed and we want to stop that. So I would not say it’s the end of the road,” Trump said as Zelenskyy sat next to him shaking his head at the question. He added that there is a “good chance” of the ending the war through these meetings.

“I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end,” Trump said.

Contrasts in Trump’s hosting of Putin and Zelenskyy

In just a span of a few days and thousands of mile apart, Trump has hosted the leaders of two nations embroiled in war.

At Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, dueling red carpets showed the way for both Trump and Putin to make their way to a platform emblazoned with “Alaska 2025,” where they briefly stood before taking Trump’s limousine to the meeting site. Trump arrived at the junction point first, waiting on Putin and greeting him warmly.

For Zelenskyy’s White House arrival Monday, Trump greeted the Ukrainian president at a threshold of the executive residence, after Zelenskyy’s motorcade wound its way up the driveway festooned with flags and lined with uniformed members of the U.S. military. After a handshake and pleasantries, Trump responded “we love them” as a reporter shouted a question about his message for Ukraine.

In both circumstances, Trump was host to the foreign leaders, welcoming them to U.S. soil.

Trump and Zelenskyy meeting begins

Trump said the meeting is “very import” and Zelenskyy thanks Trump for trying to end Russia’s war against his country.

All foreign leaders — except Zelenskyy — have arrived

They’re all in place at the White House, ahead of the Ukrainian president:

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

French President Emmanuel Macron

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni

Finnish President Alexander Stubb

Zelenskyy suits up — sort of

After wearing a T-shirt earlier in the day, Zelenskyy is dressed more formally for other meetings.

At the Ukrainian embassy in D.C., he greeted European leaders in a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer.

The last time he was at the White House, his casual clothing became a point of irritation for Trump.

European leaders have ‘coordinated’ their positions for ‘a reliable and lasting peace,’ Zelenskyy says

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the European leaders had “coordinated” their positions before meeting Trump in the White House and that their main goal was “a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe.”

“We shouldn’t expect Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at conquest,” Zelenskyy wrote. He also shared a video that showed the European leaders greeting each other and embracing at an earlier meeting in Washington.

“That is why pressure must work, and it must be joint pressure — from the United States and Europe, and from everyone in the world who respects the right to life and the international order.”

Putin reaches out to global leaders in run-up to Zelenskyy’s White House visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa Monday to discuss the results of talks between Russia and the U.S. in Alaska, the Kremlin said, just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived to speak with President Donald Trump at the White House.

He also spoke with key allies, including leaders in Central Asia and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko, in a series of calls Monday and Sunday.

Putin made similar calls to world leaders following his meeting with special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in early August. On that occasion, he also spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni talks to reporters ahead of White House meeting

Meloni has long positioned herself as a “bridge” between the Trump administration and Europe and said the meeting was important because “finally” Russia had given a sign it was ready for dialogue.

In comments to reporters in Washington, Meloni said Moscow’s openness was thanks to the “situation of stall on the battlefield” that was due both to the courage of Ukrainians to fight but also the West’s united stand supporting Kyiv. She said she was pleased with the proposal of security guarantees for Ukraine inspired by NATO’s Article 5.

“Clearly we have to build, work on this. But the work we are doing today, from my point of view, is important work. Clearly there are no easy solutions when talking about ending a war and building peace. We have to explore all possible solutions to guarantee peace, to guarantee justice, and to guarantee security for our countries,” she said.

Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan

Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts to satisfy President Trump’s demands for a greater GOP advantage.

Democratic leaders say they’ll return for a second special legislative session after seeing California Democratic leaders proceed with plans to redraw their own U.S. House maps to neutralize Republican gains in Texas.

The nation’s two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.

Trump calls for Hamas to be ‘confronted and destroyed’ for hostage return

The U.S. president says the remaining hostages held in the Israel-Gaza war will only be released “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!”

“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site Monday morning.

Zelenskyy calls latest Russian attacks ‘demonstrative and cynical’

“Everyone wants a just peace and true security. And at this very moment, the Russians are striking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Odesa, residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy said the energy infrastructure object struck in Odesa belongs to an Azerbaijani company. “This is a blow to our relations (with Azerbaijan) and to energy independence.”

“The war must be brought to an end. And it is Moscow that must hear ‘stop,’” Zelenskyy said in conclusion.

Europe’s security is also at stake in the talks

European leaders see Ukraine’s fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to threaten other countries in eastern Europe and beyond.

French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an “outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.”

“If we are weak with Russia today, we’ll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too.” Macron said Sunday.

The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Ukraine won’t surrender land to Russia

Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can’t cede Crimea either.

Instead, freezing the front line — which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine — seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept.

Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Trump’s schedule, according to the White House

— 12 p.m. ET: European leaders will arrive at the White House

— 1 p.m.: Trump will greet and meet with Zelenskyy

— 2:15 p.m.: Trump will greet European leaders

— 3 p.m.: Trump will meet with European leaders

Putin wants the Donbas

As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely.

In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense pledge, according to a senior U.S. official.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a “game-changing” step though he offered few details on how it would work.

Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again.

Trump previews executive order on voting

Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind.

He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”

Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”

When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said.

“He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.

Russia continued to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed six civilians late Sunday. Among the victims was a toddler and a 16-year-old, according to local officials. The strike also injured 20 people, including six children, authorities said.

Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region.

In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a total of four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed.