Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A new chapter in the war in Ukraine may be unfolding as former U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to broker direct peace talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, despite growing momentum for a diplomatic breakthrough, doubts persist among European leaders about the Russian leader’s true intentions.
On Monday, Trump held a high-profile series of meetings in the White House with Zelensky and a delegation of European leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The summit notably warmer than previous interactions between Trump and Zelensky culminated in a joint commitment to pursue a trilateral meeting involving all three leaders within the next two weeks.
According to Trump, Putin has verbally agreed to participate in such talks but has yet to commit to a firm date. This ambiguity has sparked fears that the Russian president may ultimately walk away from the process, as he has done in past diplomatic overtures.
The Kremlin described a 40-minute phone call between Trump and Putin as “frank” but only “fairly constructive.” Nevertheless, Trump appeared optimistic, stating that “if everything works out well, we will have a trilateral meeting and have a good chance of ending the war.”
Speaking candidly in a hot mic moment with President Macron ahead of their meeting, Trump whispered, “I think [Putin] wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds.” Trump later asserted that Putin had accepted U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, though no details were provided.
Zelensky, for his part, expressed readiness to meet Putin face-to-face, reiterating his commitment to a diplomatic resolution. “We support the idea of the United States, of personally President Trump, to stop this war, We are ready for a trilateral,” he said.
But behind the carefully orchestrated diplomacy, concerns remain. Mere hours after signaling potential cooperation, Russia launched a massive overnight assault involving over 270 drones and 10 missiles across Ukrainian territory a stark reminder of the ongoing brutality of the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
Speaking after the White House meetings, Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said, “Putin is rarely to be trusted. So now it remains to be seen whether he has the courage to come to this type of meeting, or is he once again playing for time?”
Stubb, though supportive of Trump’s initiative, warned that Putin’s strategic objectives remain unchanged: to elevate Russia as a global power, to fracture Western unity, and to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty.
Macron struck a similar tone, warning that if Putin reneges on peace commitments, Europe must be prepared to increase sanctions. “I have the greatest doubts about the reality of the Russian president’s desire for peace,” Macron told reporters. “As long as he thinks he can win through war, he will do so.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed this sentiment, stating he wasn’t confident Putin “has the courage” to attend peace talks, despite the Russian president’s expressed openness to a meeting. “We simply don’t know,” he said.
Adding a stark layer of context, Russian policy expert William Browder wrote that peace could be an existential threat for Putin. “For Vladimir Putin, an outbreak of peace means certain death by assassination, overthrow, or international prosecution,” Browder warned. He argued that prolonging the war may be Putin’s only viable survival strategy.
Despite the skepticism, Trump painted the Oval Office summit as a breakthrough. Standing alongside Zelensky, he vowed the U.S. would offer Ukraine “very good protection” and “a lot of help” in the event of a peace deal, though he repeatedly refused to rule out deploying American troops. Assistance is expected to focus on air support and strategic defense.
The meeting also addressed difficult questions about Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Trump reportedly showed Zelensky a battlefield map detailing the 20% of Ukrainian territory currently under Russian occupation. Talks may involve potential territorial exchanges based on the current line of contact, a topic fraught with political and moral sensitivity in Kyiv and across Europe.
Inside the Oval Office, the atmosphere was strikingly cordial. Trump warmly welcomed Zelensky a stark contrast to their contentious February meeting even complimenting him on his military-style attire. Zelensky, dressed in black in a sign of respect while adhering to his personal vow to forgo a suit until the war ends, thanked Trump multiple times during his opening remarks.
As discussions unfolded, Trump handed Zelensky a battlefield map, while Zelensky gave Trump a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, addressed to First Lady Melania Trump, thanking her for raising awareness of the 20,000 Ukrainian children believed to have been abducted by Russian forces.
Outside the White House, protestors gathered with signs reading, “Do not abandon Ukraine,” while inside, the leaders pressed forward with an urgent timetable. Trump announced that he would call Putin immediately after the summit, stating, “If we don’t have a trilateral [meeting], then the fighting continues. But if we do, there’s a good chance of ending it.”
Both Rome and Geneva are being considered as potential venues for the upcoming summit, though Moscow is reportedly pushing for the latter.
The meetings follow last week’s controversial summit in Alaska, where Trump met Putin behind closed doors. According to reports, the Trump administration dropped demands for an immediate ceasefire and signaled openness to ceding the Donbas region to Russia a move sharply criticized by foreign policy experts and met with alarm in European capitals.
Trump defended the Alaska meeting and his broader approach on his social media platform Truth Social, writing, “I know exactly what I’m doing,” in response to growing criticism.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced support for a peace initiative but urged caution. “We’ve got to get this right,” he said. “Everybody wants it to end not least the Ukrainians but we have to make sure it is lasting, fair, and just.”
While hopes remain for a summit within days, a peaceful resolution remains uncertain. For now, diplomatic efforts are accelerating, but the question lingers: will Vladimir Putin truly show up for peace, or is he simply buying more time?
