Working Visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States

 

President of Ukraine and Leaders of Other European Countries, the EU, and NATO Coordinated Positions Ahead of the Meeting with the U.S. President

In Washington, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The leaders coordinated their positions ahead of the negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump, which will take place today in Washington.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the partners for their efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace and for their active participation in diplomatic work.

All participants of the meeting underlined the importance of a common position on the future peace agreement. They stressed their firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the unacceptability of changing internationally recognized state borders by force.

The leaders welcomed the readiness of the United States to participate in guaranteeing security for Ukraine. One of the key issues in the negotiations with President Trump will be the joint participation of the United States and Europe in creating the future security architecture for Ukraine and, consequently, for the entire European continent.

President of France Emmanuel Macron and Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz will also take part in the joint meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, other European countries, the EU, and NATO with the U.S. President.

 

It Is Important That the United States Sends a Clear Signal That It Will Be Among the Countries Helping with Security Guarantees for Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy Following the Meeting with Donald Trump

During the meeting in Washington, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States of America Donald Trump discussed the real situation on the battlefield, the release of prisoners and the return of abducted children, efforts to achieve a durable peace, security guarantees, and bilateral cooperation.

The Head of State thanked the U.S. President for the invitation, for his personal involvement in bringing the war to an end, and for today’s meeting.

“This was the best of our meetings. This is important. I was even able to show all American colleagues many things on the map regarding the situation on the battlefield. Who controls what – not by hearsay, but in reality – who controls what on the battlefield, on our land, on our territory that we control, and on the temporarily occupied territories,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

According to the President of Ukraine, the key topic of discussion was security guarantees for our country. In particular, U.S.–European joint work was discussed.

“It is important that the United States of America sends a clear signal that it will be among the countries that will help, coordinate, and participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. I believe this is a big step forward,” the Head of State said.

Special attention was given to the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. The President of Ukraine expressed particular gratitude to the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, for the letter she conveyed to Vladimir Putin concerning the Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, and for her attention to this issue.

This matter is one of the most painful for Ukrainians, as it concerns at least 20,000 deported children. Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Donald Trump to convey a letter of gratitude from the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, to Melania Trump.

Thousands of Ukrainians – both military and civilians – remain in Russian captivity, some of them since 2014 when Russia began its war against Ukraine. The Head of State emphasized that their release must become an obligatory part of the peace process.

“We discussed this with the President of the United States of America. He agrees that the system is complicated, but he will help me regarding an all-for-all exchange. Not only of prisoners of war but also of civilians – journalists, political prisoners. We agreed to work on this,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

Donald Trump supported holding a trilateral meeting at the level of leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. The President of Ukraine once again confirmed that our state is ready to work as productively and as quickly as possible to bring this war to an end. He is convinced that the most sensitive issues can only be resolved at the level of leaders.

In addition, bilateral cooperation was discussed during the meeting. In particular, Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the United States in the sphere of drones – to sell the most modern UAVs, as well as to jointly produce them. The relevant proposal was presented to President Trump.

 

Talks Were Held in Washington Between the Leaders of Ukraine, the U.S., France, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the EU, and NATO

Talks were held in Washington with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the United States Donald Trump, President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

 This meeting was preceded by bilateral negotiations between the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States. The Head of State emphasized that one of the main topics of discussion with President Trump was security guarantees.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine’s security depends on all the leaders present. The President noted the strong signal from the United States regarding its readiness to take part in guaranteeing security and the importance of the support demonstrated today by Europe. Ukraine, in particular, views accession to the EU as part of its security guarantees.

The talks also focused on the work of the Coalition of the Willing and the specific security guarantees each of its more than 30 member states is ready to provide.

During the meeting, the leaders began a substantive discussion of the details of security guarantees. As a result, certain projects are already in place, and the relevant teams will now be working on them intensively. Everything is to be formalized within ten days.

“It is very important for us that this must not be a pause in fighting, but a real peace that can be safeguarded by the security guarantees of our partners,” said the President of Ukraine.

Other key topics included the release of prisoners and the return of children abducted by Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for her attention to this issue and for the letter she conveyed to Vladimir Putin. The Presidents of Ukraine and the United States agreed to work on preparing an all-for-all prisoner exchange.

 The participants also discussed the importance of holding a meeting with the Russian side at the level of leaders. All partners agreed that only such a format could resolve the most sensitive issues.

According to the U.S. President, during the meeting in Alaska Vladimir Putin agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine.

“I am optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine,” noted Donald Trump.

The NATO Secretary General thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his leadership and Donald Trump for his personal efforts. Mark Rutte emphasized the importance of stopping the killings and strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.

“Let us do the maximum we can now. I am confident that from today we will move toward ending this as soon as possible,” he stressed.

The President of the European Commission emphasized the participants’ readiness to work on security guarantees for Ukraine.

“And I am also glad that you mentioned the thousands of abducted children. As a mother and grandmother, I know how important it is for every child to return home,” added Ursula von der Leyen.

The German Chancellor emphasized that before further negotiations, a key step is a ceasefire to enable work on a peace agreement.

“I cannot imagine that the next meeting will take place without a ceasefire. So let us work on this. And let us press Russia. Because the ceasefire and the seriousness of the negotiations depend on how we do it,” said Friedrich Merz.

The President of the Council of Ministers of Italy stressed that peace and justice can be achieved only in unity.

“We will discuss security guarantees: how to ensure that this does not happen again. We will begin discussions with a proposal for a model similar to Article 5 of NATO,” said Giorgia Meloni.

The President of France also emphasized that a ceasefire is necessary to stop the killings. Another essential element, he noted, is security guarantees.

 “When we speak of security guarantees, we are speaking of security for the entire European continent. The first guarantee is a capable Ukrainian army for the coming years and decades. And also the corresponding commitments on the part of all of us,” stated Emmanuel Macron.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom expressed confidence that today’s meeting could be a historic step in terms of security.

“We want peace. The war has a huge impact, first of all on Ukrainians, who hold the front line. But it also affects Europe, including the United Kingdom,” said Keir Starmer.

The President of Finland stressed that the reason for his presence at the negotiating table is that his country shares a long border with Russia and has its own historical experience dating back to World War II.

“We found a solution in 1944. And I am confident that we will be able to find a solution in 2025 to end Russia’s war of aggression. The situation is very difficult. But that is why we are here,” concluded Alexander Stubb.

In addition, the parties discussed the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that this is a major opportunity for future investment, which at the same time is an element of the path to peace.

The President of Ukraine thanked all the leaders present who came to Washington personally to demonstrate their support for our country.

 

Ukraine Is Ready for Any Format of Talks at the Level of Leaders

Ukraine is ready for any format of talks, including holding a bilateral meeting with Russia at the level of leaders. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this while speaking with the media in Washington.

The Head of State noted that after a joint coordination meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, the leaders of European countries, the EU, and NATO, President Trump called Vladimir Putin to discuss diplomatic steps. In particular, he proposed holding a trilateral meeting at the level of the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.

Later, heads of state and government gathered in the Oval Office to discuss the outcome of this phone call. Donald Trump informed that the Russian side had suggested first holding a bilateral meeting with Ukraine and then a trilateral meeting with U.S. participation.

“We are ready for any formats at the level of leaders, because only at the level of leaders can we resolve all those complex, painful issues. At least for us they are important and painful. Therefore, I confirmed – and all European leaders supported me – that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin, and after that we expect a trilateral meeting,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Head of State added that he had discussed with President Trump that all parties must demonstrate the will to end the war. A diplomatic meeting at the level of leaders is such a step. If the Russian side does not take it, Ukraine will ask the United States to act accordingly.

The President of Ukraine presented the President of the United States with a golf club, which had been given to him by Junior Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Kostiantyn Kartavtsev. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the warrior had lost a leg in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion while saving his brothers-in-arms. Golf became part of Kostiantyn Kartavtsev’s rehabilitation and helped him regain balance – both physical and emotional. The Head of State also showed a video in which Kostiantyn Kartavtsev appeals to the U.S. President to help Ukraine end the war with a just and lasting peace.

Donald Trump accepted the gift, recorded a video thanking the Ukrainian warrior for the golf club, and presented the President of Ukraine with symbolic keys to the White House.

A joint project of the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Journal