Plans for a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are now underway, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said today.

Broadcast and cable networks went to special reports on Monday as Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to journalists in the Oval Office in advance of talks of a peace deal to settle Ukraine ‘s war with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could meet within the next two weeks thanks to President Trump’s efforts to bring an end to the war, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Just after noon, European leaders including Macron, Starmer, von der Leyen, Rutte, and Meloni began arriving one by one at the White House. According to the White House schedule, Trump will first meet with Zelensky at 1:15 p.m. before greeting the European leaders, followed by a multilateral meeting with all parties at 3:00 p.m.

Monday Ukraine President Volodymr Zelensky made a return visit to The White House, this time with NATO allies to avoid another Trump-Vance Oval Office ambush he was hit with last February.

During an Oval Office meeting on August 18, 2025, Donald Trump displayed a Ukraine war map highlighting territories under Russian control — a move Russia’s Foreign Ministry called a “strong slap” for President Zelensky.

Ukrainian analysts watching their president’s return to the White House were braced for a “nightmare.” They took cautious encouragement from what they saw instead.

After witnessing the red carpet rolled out for Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday; the jet flyover; the ride in the presidential limousine, many Ukrainians feared the American president’s bromance with the wily old KGB agent had reignited.