VOLODYMYR Zelensky and Donald Trump had a love-in as he turned up in a suit for their crunch Ukraine peace talks.
The two men laughed and joked in the Oval Office—a place where just six months prior, they had a heated exchange, and Mr. Zelensky was mocked for wearing combat gear.
Complimented on his smart new look, the Ukrainian president joked his outfit was “the best I have”.
He also called out the US reporter who had a pop at him last time — for wearing the same suit.
At their meeting Mr Zelensky vowed he was ready to eyeball Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin to end the three-year war.
This sets the stage for a potential historic trilateral meeting involving the Americans, Russians, and Ukraine, which insiders suggest could happen within weeks or even days.
President Trump declared “the war is going to end” as he publicly confirmed for the first time he will underwrite a peace deal.
He mentioned, “if there’s peace, it will be long-lasting,” and added, “When it comes to security, there will be considerable support, and we will be actively involved.”
And in a remarkable turnaround, the President did not rule out committing US troops.
Mr Trump, watched by his Vice President JD Vance, also backed a fresh meeting with Putin, after their Alaska summit last week.
He stated, “I think if everything goes well today, we’ll have a trilateral meeting, and there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war with that.”
But he insisted European powers remained front and centre of policing a future peace.
He said European nations “will take a lot of the burden, but we are going to help them”.
Additionally, he indicated that the talks would “consider the exchange of territory” and suggested that such exchanges concerning Russian land grabs would take into account the current front lines.
But Mr Trump warned Ukraine could never join Nato, despite a 2024 agreement that put the nation on a path to membership being signed by the US.
That put him at odds with Sir Keir Starmer, who is still pushing for Ukraine to join the Western defence alliance as a full member.
Asked whether “Nato-like protection” could still be offered to deter future Russian aggression, Mr Trump said he would “help them out with that”.
He later held talks with EU, Nato and European leaders.
‘NATO-LIKE PROTECTION’
He told them: “The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach.
“I believe that President Putin’s significant step of agreeing to accept security guarantees for Ukraine is one of the crucial aspects we need to consider, and we need to address who will be responsible for what,” he noted.
“I’m optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine.”
The PM told Mr Trump: “Your indication of security guarantees fits with what we’ve been doing with the ‘Coalition of the Willing’.
“With you coming alongside what we’ve already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today — a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.”
In contrast to February’s dust-up, Mr Zelensky arrived at the White House in a black shirt and jacket.
And he was quick to thank Mr Trump after being accused of not being sufficiently grateful for aid worth billions of dollars.
Greeting him, the President declared of Mr Zelensky’s new look: “I can’t believe it, I love it.”
Mr Zelensky joked it was “the best I have”.
Reporter Brian Glenn then told Mr Zelensky: “You look fabulous in that suit . . . you look good.”
Mr Trump replied: “I said the same.”
He then pointed out “he’s the one who attacked you last time”.
Mr Zelensky laughed and replied: “I remember.”
Glenn apologised, as Mr Zelensky noticed he was wearing the same suit as last time and joked: “I changed, you did not”.
After coaching from British officials about handling Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky echoed Sir Keir handing over a letter from the King inviting the President to visit Britain.
Mr Zelensky presented Mr Trump with a letter from his wife, written to the First Lady of the United States.
He said she wished to thank Melania Trump for her plea to President Putin to stop slaughtering innocent Ukrainian children.
‘GAME-CHANGING’
Asked what he needs from the US, Mr Zelensky insisted “everything” — listing troops, weapons, training and intelligence.
White House aides have previously touted Nato-style assurances for Kyiv that would see allies come to its defence if Putin were to betray a peace deal.
Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks with Putin last week, said the Russians would allow such guarantees in a “game-changing” concession.
But Downing Street insisted it still supported Mr Zelensky’s long-term ambition to join Nato.
Sir Keir’s spokesman said Kyiv was on a “irreversible path” to membership and that “Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to the EU or Nato”.
Putin has previously claimed Nato expansion was an act of Western aggression and Ukrainian accession to the alliance was a red line.
No10 tried to downplay splits with the US, saying the two countries were working “hand in glove”.
Further tensions were sparked when Mr Trump claimed Mr Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight”.
Mr Trump later said Ukraine would have to accept there was “no getting back” Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Britain insists “international borders must not be changed by force”.
But No10 seemed to suggest Sir Keir could back a peace deal without a ceasefire.
Haggling over territory will centre on the Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Putin reportedly demanded Ukraine withdraw entirely from Donetsk and Luhansk — which comprise the strategically-important Donbas region — in exchange for freezing the remaining battle lines.
The Kremlin tyrant is also understood to have then offered Ukraine comparatively tiny pockets of Russian-controlled territory.
Putin’s fire
RUSSIAN attacks on major cities in Ukraine killed at least ten people just hours before Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump.
An entire family, including a toddler and her 16-year-old brother, were among seven who died as a Kharkhiv apartment block was hit.
And 23 others were wounded there, authorities said.
In Zaporizhzhia, three died in a missile strike and 23 were injured.
Mr Zelensky said Putin was trying to keep pressure on Ukraine with the “demonstrative and cynical” attacks during peace talks.
