US President Donald Trump said Sunday that “big progress” has been made in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, though he offered no details on the developments.
“Big progress on Russia-Ukraine talks. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote on his platform, truth social.
The announcement follows his three-hour closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. After the talks, Putin said the two leaders had reached an “understanding.”
Trump later told Fox News that “a lot of points were agreed on,” while adding that one or two “pretty significant items” still need to be resolved. He stressed that the next steps now rest with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Zelenskyy is due to meet Trump at the White House on Monday, joined by several European heads of state and government, to continue discussions on the path forward.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are all expected to attend.
The German government described the trip as an “information exchange” following Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Chancellor Merz would discuss ongoing peace efforts while stressing Germany’s push for a swift agreement. He noted that discussions would cover security guarantees, territorial issues, military support for Ukraine, and the continuation of sanctions against Russia.
In Helsinki, the Finnish presidency confirmed Stubb’s attendance, calling it “a meeting on peace in Ukraine.”
Von der Leyen said on X that she would travel to Washington at Zelenskyy’s request, after hosting him in Brussels and joining a Coalition of the Willing conference. Macron and Meloni’s participation were separately confirmed by the Elysee and Italy’s ANSA news agency, while NATO announced Rutte’s attendance.
Speaking further in a statement released Sunday, the President of the European Commission reaffirmed Europe’s stance and vowed to increase pressure on Russia.
“As long as the bloodshed in Ukraine continues, Europe will maintain diplomatic and, in particular, economic pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions.” Von der Leyen said.
Downing Street said Starmer would also take part, pledging that the UK, alongside other European partners, “stands ready to support this next phase of further talks” and will continue backing Ukraine “as long as it takes.”
The Washington talks come just days after Trump held a three-hour closed-door meeting with Putin in Alaska.
Following that meeting, Putin said the two had reached an “understanding.” Trump later told Fox News that only a few significant issues remained and that it was now up to Zelenskyy and European leaders to move negotiations forward.