Trump, Zelenskiy suggest meeting with Putin to end war
European leaders are scheduled to meet Trump later today
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We're going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today we'll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that," Trump said during a meeting with Zelenskiy at the White House on Monday (18 August).
European leaders are scheduled to meet Trump later today, reports Reuters.
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Zelenskiy added, "And we supported the idea of... President Trump to stop this war, to make diplomatic way of finishing this war. And we are ready for trilateral."
Putin is 'expecting my call' after meetings, Trump says
Trump said he just spoke to Putin indirectly, adding he will have a call with him later.
"I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we're going to have a phone call right after these meetings today, and we may or may not have a trilat."
Trump added Putin is "expecting my call when we're finished with this meeting."
The discussions come amid tensions over Crimea and NATO ambitions.
Trump reportedly urged Kyiv to reconsider its position on Crimea and NATO membership, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace.
Zelenskiy, however, rejected any retreat from Ukrainian land.
Earlier, Trump received Zelenskiy at the White House.
"I can't believe it, I love it," Trump said, gesturing to Zelenskiy's black suit as he greeted him.
Trump put his arm around the Ukrainian leader's shoulder, then they moved quickly inside.
When asked whether security guarantees for Ukraine could involve US troops, Trump 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, but there'll be a lot of, there'll be a lot of help."
Zelenskiy open to elections in Ukraine
Zelenskiy said he is open to holding an election, provided conditions allow.
"We have to do safety and circumstances... We need to work in Parliament, because during the war, you can't have elections, but we can, we can do security," he said.
"We need a truce... to make possible for people to do democratic, open, legal, legal elections."
The US has indicated it wants Ukraine to hold elections by the end of the year if a ceasefire is in place.
Asked about security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump said, "There'll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There's going to be a lot of help. It's going to be good. They are first line of defense because they're Europe. But we're going to help them out also. We'll be involved."
While U.S. officials have promised "Article 5" style security guarantees for Ukraine, the exact details remain unclear. Article 5 of the NATO treaty requires members to come to the aid of each other in cases of military threats.
Trump was asked whether he would send American peacekeepers to Ukraine, "We're going to work with everyone and we're going to make sure ... that everything's good. We'll work with Russia. We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to make sure it works," he said.
Zelenskiy expressed gratitude for Trump's involvement:
"Thank you very much for your... personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war."
"We want it to end good for everybody. The people of Ukraine have suffered."
Trump had campaigned in January on a promise to end Russia's conflict with Ukraine in a day, but his advisers later backed away from that pledge.
