Subhechcha Ganguly 
Although a peace deal remains distant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described his Monday meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as his “best” so far. The talks, held in the Oval Office with top European leaders present, aimed to revive stalled U.S.-led efforts to end the more than three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.
During their second Oval Office meeting this year, Trump signaled Washington’s willingness to back European security efforts to oversee any potential peace agreement. Zelensky, dressed more formally than usual, expressed repeated gratitude to Trump—an emphasis that followed past criticism from U.S. Vice President JD Vance that he had not been thankful enough for American aid.
The meeting came just days after Trump’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Following those talks, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said the hope was for discussions with Ukraine and Europe to proceed in the same constructive spirit.
In a social media post, Trump confirmed he had spoken with Putin to set up a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. He also announced plans for a trilateral summit involving himself, Zelensky, and Putin—calling it “a very good, early step” toward ending a war now nearing its fourth year.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, Putin has already expressed readiness to meet Zelensky, raising cautious optimism for a potential breakthrough.
