When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Trump on Friday, the mood is expected to be very different from their first Oval Office encounter in February.
Last month, President Trump said Ukraine needed to be open to giving up some of its territory in peace talks with Russia. But those talks haven't happened. Now, he says Ukraine could win it all back.
The Ukrainian president is being joined at the White House by several key European leaders, as they look to find an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
When President Trump was flying to Alaska to meet Vladimir Putin, he said the goal was a ceasefire. But after they talked, Trump aligned himself with Putin and downplayed the need for a truce.
European leaders held a high-stakes meeting Wednesday with President Trump, Vice President Vance, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO's chief ahead of Friday's U.S.-Russia summit.
Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was unlikely to be included in talks he described as a "feel out meeting" to better understand Russia's demands for ending its war in Ukraine.
The two countries have agreed to a deal to jointly invest in Ukraine's mineral, raw materials and natural resource wealth in exchange for future U.S. aid.
It was their first face-to-face meeting since they argued in front of cameras in the Oval Office in February — and comes as efforts intensify to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Trump calls on Putin to stop attacks as Ukrainian military says Russia launched at least 215 drones and missiles at Ukraine, most aimed at the capital.
Zelenskyy said that Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine's offer to extend the truce for 30 days, starting midnight Sunday.
As the Trump administration works toward a halt in the fighting, many experts fear that Ukraine will be forced to accept a ceasefire deal that will only give Russian forces a badly needed breather.
Lawmakers sought to dispel Kremlin talking points echoed by the president that Ukraine was responsible for the war with Russia. But they said Trump should be given room to negotiate.
The war has reached a critical point. A real peace seems unlikely, but a ceasefire is possible, most experts agree. The question is whether it can be achieved without placing Ukraine in further peril.
A barrage of Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities Monday, killing at least 36 people and injuring more than 149, and destroying a large children’s hospital in Kyiv, the state emergency service said.
