Trump Says US Will Be Involved in Future Security of Ukraine

US President Donald Trump met his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House before being joined by other European leaders.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Zelensky alongside him, Trump said that while European countries are "the first line of defense because they are there, they are Europe, we're going to help them out also. We'll be involved."

In opening remarks, Trump calls today’s meeting “very important” and believes progress is being made. He also says that there’s the “possibility” that something could come out of his meeting with Putin, Al Jazeera reported.

Before the reporter questions begin, Zelenskyy thanked Trump effusively for his “personal efforts to stop the killings and stop the wars”.

With him is a letter he had brought for Melania Trump, thanking her for a letter she sent to Putin on Friday raising the plight of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.

Trump said that the war continues to create enormous hardships for Ukraine and repeats the dubious claim that his predecessor Joe Biden was to blame for Russia’s invasion.

“This isn’t my war, this is Joe Biden’s war. He’s the one who had a lot to do with this happening, and we want to get it ended,” he said.

“And we want it to end for everybody. The people of Ukraine have suffered incredibly.”

He added that he initially thought the war would be easy to end, but that it has been a “tough one”.

Zelenskyy’s assent came after Trump said the three leaders could meet if 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.

Before the summit, Trump urged Ukraine to abandon its hopes of regaining Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014, and its ambition to join NATO. Most of the world casts Russia’s annexation of the peninsula as illegal.

Trump said he is expecting a phone call with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin after a meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders.

Ahead of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump, EU leaders met with Zelenskyy at the Ukrainian Embassy in DC this morning.