Zelensky says he’s ready for Putin talks as Europe welcomes Trump’s security guarantees

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today’s talks were the best so far and that he was “ready for a bilateral with Putin”.

Here’s what the other European leaders who were at the White House had to say:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “very pleased” with the outcome of the meeting today, which demonstrated a “real sense of unity” among the leaders. He emphasised that “no decision should be made about Ukraine, without Ukraine”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Trump to “put pressure on Russia for a ceasefire. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” he said. Putin had agreed to a bilateral meeting within the next two weeks, Merz said.

French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Merz’s comments for a ceasefire, but also said that European military forces should help Ukraine with “boots on the ground”.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb struck a more cautious tone, saying there was “nothing concrete” about US participation in security guarantees for Ukraine. As for the bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin, he said the Russian leader “cannot be trusted”.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said one of the most important questions was “how to be sure that it won’t happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated calls for the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, saying the “human cost of this war must end”.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte called Trump a “pragmatic peacemaker” and said the leaders would be working on security guarantees over the next few days.