Trump-Zelensky meeting live: President pushes to end Ukraine-Russia war as he rules out US troops on the ground – UK Times

The White House is planning for a potential trilateral meeting in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, according to Politico.

The trilateral meeting would involve President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide any details about a venue for the meeting during a briefing on Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to have a direct meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“He has, and I just answered that question for you,” Leavitt responded.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. air support in Ukraine is “an option and a possibility.”

This comes after President Donald Trump said he won’t send U.S. troops to Ukraine, but that his administration could help provide security guarantees in other ways, including with air support.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed reports that President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin while European leaders were gathered at the White House.

A reporter asked Leavitt why Trump took that call when the European leaders weren’t in the room.

“So these leaders, who, this war is in their backyard, are very grateful that the president took that call and that he was there to provide them with a readout of Russia’s thinking on this, something that was not done by the previous administration at all,” Leavitt responded.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump wants Russia and Ukraine to engage in “direct diplomacy.”

This comes after Trump said he is arranging a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After that meeting, Trump hopes to have a trilateral meeting between himself, Putin and Zelensky.

Leavitt’s remarks came after a reporter asked: “Can you explain how this went from a trilateral meeting involving President Trump to now the focus being on this bilateral meeting without the president first?”

“The president has spoken to both leaders about this, and both leaders have expressed a willingness to sit down with each other, and so our national security team will help both countries do that,” Leavitt responded.

“Ultimately, the president has always said that there are areas of disagreement in this war that will have to be discussed and decided upon by these two countries, and so he wants these two countries to engage in direct diplomacy,” she added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has reaffirmed that U.S. troops won’t be sent to Ukraine to enforce any potential peace deal with Russia.

However, the U.S. could be involved in other security guarantees, she said.

“The President has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,” Leavitt said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gifted President Donald Trump a golf club during their White House meeting on Monday.

The golf club was originally given to Zelensky by Kostiantyn Kartavtsev, a junior sergeant in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Kartavtsev lost his leg in the early months of Russia’s invasion, and golf was a part of his “rehabilitation,” according to a statement from Zelensky’s office.

The sport “helped him regain balance — both physical and emotional,” the release said.

The White House is holding a briefing after President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several key European leaders met in the White House.