All eyes were on the White House as Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, in a bid to advance peace talks over the war in Ukraine. This came just days after Trump’s three-hour private meeting with Vladimir Putin, where no ceasefire terms were reached despite Trump insisting “great progress” had been made.

The presence of European leaders alongside Zelenskyy signaled a united front against Russian demands, which Ukraine has rejected as unreasonable. Many fear Trump could concede too much to Putin, given his past claims that he could end the war within 24 hours. Yet Trump remains confident that a deal can still be brokered.

During the talks, a hot mic captured Trump saying, “I think he wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds,” widely believed to be a reference to Putin. Following the meeting, Starmer described “real progress,” highlighting unity among the leaders and revealing that a new framework had been agreed upon: a bilateral negotiation between Putin and Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral process that would also involve Trump.

Starmer stressed that Ukraine would remain at the table on critical issues, including territory, prisoner exchanges, and the return of children. He framed the day’s outcomes as positive steps toward peace, with European leaders and Zelenskyy standing firm together, even as Trump positions himself as the intermediary.