President Donald J. Trump expressed optimism on social media following a high-level meeting at the White House on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders, describing the talks as a promising early step toward peace.

The gathering included French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years." 

During discussions in the East Room and Oval Office, participants focused on establishing security guarantees for Ukraine, coordinated by European countries with potential U.S. support. Trump suggested these assurances could resemble NATO-style protections, though he stopped short of specifying direct U.S. troop involvement. European leaders favored deploying peacekeeping forces while seeking more concrete commitments.

Trump also said he placed a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the meeting to begin arranging a one-on-one session with Zelenskyy, followed later by a potential "trilat," a trilateral summit including himself. The Kremlin confirmed the conversation, reported to have lasted for 40 minutes, Newsmax reported on Monday evening.

Later, President Zelenskyy praised the U.S. for sending a “strong signal” on security guarantees and emphasized unity among participants, according to wires and the Wall Street Journal.