President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders met at the White House on Monday afternoon to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.

Even if the Russian leader supports a pact, skepticism is likely to follow as Moscow has previously broken promises not to attack Ukraine.

The Kremlin for its part has stayed evasive. Putin on Monday told Trump he was "open" to the idea of direct talks with Ukraine, but by the next day foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had watered down that already vague commitment.

The president says he wants Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet alone before he joins them in a potential trilateral discussion.

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in the quest for a path to end the war with Russia.

President Trump had suggested a meeting between Russia and Ukraine’s leaders could be a potential next step on the path to peace, but Russian state news media barely mentioned such a meeting in its coverage.

TRUMP: ‘A VERY GOOD, EARLY STEP’: In a post on Truth Social last night, President Donald Trump expressed confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin would soon sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hash out details of a peace deal that would lead to the end of the three-and-a-half-year war.

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in the quest for a path to end the war with Russia. Follow along for live updates, news and analysis.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered this line in response to criticism of President Trump inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to U.S. territory: "He displayed a huge amount of military hardware and then did a flyover.