Trump Calls Putin At White House Summit For Possible Summit With Zelensky

President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders were gathered in the White House, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios

Why it matters: Trump said earlier Monday that Putin was expecting a call from him after the talks concluded. Trump said he hoped to quickly arrange a trilateral summit involving both Putin and Zelensky, but Putin has yet to agree to that idea.

• Trump similarly called Zelensky after his summit with Putin concluded.
• In this case, though, Trump took a break from his meeting with the Europeans to place the call. Bild first reported the Trump-Putin call.
• Trump expressed optimism during his meeting with Zelensky and in the larger meeting with the European leaders about the prospect of a trilateral summit, and a peace deal soon thereafter.

What they’re saying: Trump said on Truth Social that he’d called Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting” between Putin and Zelensky, to be followed by yet another summit, this time also including Trump.

• Trump did not announce a date for the Putin-Zelensky meeting and said the location had not been determined.
• Russia did not confirm a meeting with Zelensky but only said that Trump and Putin had discussed “the idea of raising the level of Russian and Ukrainian representation in the negotiations.”

What to watch: One source said Trump discussed the trilateral summit idea in his meeting with Zelensky and the European leaders. “He said he wants to talk about it with Putin and that he wants to do it soon, but didn’t mention a date or location.”

Breaking it down: The on-camera portions of both of Monday’s meetings were friendly in tone, particularly compared to Zelensky’s disastrous visit in February. The Ukrainian president described it as his “best” meeting with Trump so far.

• The European leaders praised Trump’s efforts for peace while prodding him to reconsider his decision to stop pushing Putin for a ceasefire, and instead jump straight to negotiating a comprehensive deal.
• Trump also said the U.S. would “be involved” in providing post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. He didn’t rule out sending in U.S. troops, though he said the Europeans would be the “first line of defense.”

The discussion around security guarantees seemed to strike a nerve in Moscow. The Foreign Ministry said it “categorically” rejects the possibility of “a military contingent with the participation of NATO countries” inside Ukraine

Between the lines: Security guarantees for Ukraine and territorial claims by Russia may be two of the thorniest issues if Putin and Zelensky do end up at the negotiating table.

Zelensky insists he will not cede land to Russia, but Putin proposed to Trump that Russia would annex two territories of Ukraine outright (Donetsk and Luhansk) and freeze the battle lines in two others – (Kherson and Zaporizhzhia),

Credit: AXIOS