Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelensky and a large group of European leaders who descended on the White House Monday to support Ukraine’s president, bracing for the possibility of another explosive series of meetings that could change the course of his country’s future.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and other European leaders have learned a thing or two about negotiating, Trump-style. So has Vladimir Putin.

It was a rare gathering inside the White House. President Donald Trump sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, all in hopes of moving closer to ending the war in Ukraine. "More than anything, we just need peace," Pastor Leo Regheta said. "We just need the war to end."

President Donald Trump ‘s face-to-face high-stakes summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could determine the fate of European security as well as the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already deals a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

It was not initially clear if Putin would speak to the press with Trump after the meeting, but the White House has since confirmed that both leaders will participate in the briefing.

American officials quickly discovered a major snag in planning for the summit: summertime is peak tourist season in Alaska, and options both available and equipped to host the two world leaders were severely limited.

President Donald Trump thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has operated with impunity since he invaded Ukraine, is somehow now ready to come to the table. A hot mic caught Trump suggesting under his breath that Putin was willing to negotiate after the two leaders met in Alaska for a summit.