Zelenskyy ready for 'constructive cooperation', to visit Washington after Trump-Putin talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready for “constructive cooperation” to end the war with Russia, after U.S. President Donald Trump told him that Vladimir Putin preferred a “comprehensive peace deal” over a ceasefire, Axios reported. Zelenskyy confirmed he would travel to Washington on Monday at Trump’s invitation, marking their second meeting this year after their bruising Oval Office encounter in February.

Trump’s comments came following his Alaska summit with Putin, which ended without an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine. On his return to Washington, Trump held calls with Zelenskyy and other European leaders. The call with the Ukrainian president lasted more than an hour, with Trump urging him to pursue a “fast peace deal” rather than settle for a temporary ceasefire, according to Axios.

Zelenskyy described the exchange as a “long and substantive” conversation and signalled support for Trump’s proposal of a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. “Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace... It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation,” Zelenskyy tweeted.

He added that “Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.”

At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that European leaders should be present “at every stage” to ensure reliable security guarantees alongside the U.S. His remark has been read as a sign of unease over Trump’s approach, with Kyiv wary of the American president being influenced by Putin.