A News Agency

The meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and U.S. President Trump at the White House has begun.

Following the Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with Europe’s leading leaders, traveled to Washington.

Before the meeting, Trump and Zelensky made statements to the press. Trump said that if everything goes well, a trilateral summit with Putin would be held. Zelensky also stated that they were ready for a trilateral meeting.

Noting that both Zelensky and Putin want to end the war, Trump said: "We will work with Ukraine and everyone to ensure lasting peace. I thought ending this war would be the easiest thing, but it was not."

Zelensky said: "If there is peace, we will hold elections. First, there must be a ceasefire and the weapons must fall silent."

In his statement, Trump added: "Europe will be the first line of defense for Ukraine, but we will also join. In the wars we ended, we declared peace directly."