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U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear, Reuters reported.
Trump made the pledge during a summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskiy and a group of European allies days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
"When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help," Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would be involved. "They are a first line of defence because they're there, but we'll help them out."
Zelenskiy hailed the promise as "a major step forward," adding that the guarantees would be "formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days" and saying Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of U.S. weapons.
Just before the talks began, Russia's Foreign Ministry ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal, adding complications to Trump's offer.
Both Trump and Zelenskiy said they hoped Monday's gathering would eventually lead to three-way talks with Putin.
In a social media post late on Monday, Trump said he had called the Russian leader and begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents.
Trump told European leaders that Putin suggested that sequence, Reuters reported citing a source in the European delegation.
While the Kremlin has not publicly announced its agreement, a senior U.S. administration official said the Putin-Zelenskiy meeting could take place in Hungary. The pair will meet within the next two weeks, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Zelenskiy also said that possible territorial issues must be discussed directly between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.