Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Europeans show their willingness to work together for peace in Ukraine

"This war will end," Donald Trump said Monday as he welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, who expressed their willingness to work together for peace and future security in Ukraine.

"I think we had a very good conversation with President Trump, it was really the best," said the Ukrainian head of state, at the start of a meeting with his American counterpart and the leaders of several European powers.

Before this expanded format, the two men had a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, where they answered a few questions from journalists in a cordial and at times playful tone, the opposite of the public humiliation suffered by Volodymyr Zelensky in the same place at the end of February.

"Thank you for the invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, your personal efforts to stop the killing and stop this war," said the Ukrainian president, who was criticized last time by Vice President JD Vance for not being grateful enough for American support.

Friendly compliments

Volodymyr Zelensky wore a black suit jacket and a black shirt, which earned him compliments from Donald Trump, who is extremely sensitive to signs of protocol, upon his arrival.

"I love it!" said the American president, pointing to the outfit of his guest, who was violently criticized by Donald Trump's supporters in February for his usual military-inspired outfit, which they deemed too casual.

The president assured European leaders that Vladimir Putin, whom he met Friday in Alaska, was "in agreement with Russia accepting security guarantees for Ukraine."

He showered his guests with friendly compliments. They, in return, thanked him warmly for his mediation efforts. The only slightly discordant note came from the German chancellor, who insisted on the need for a ceasefire before negotiations on a peace agreement can begin, while the American president now insists that this is not an essential step.

"Let's work towards this and try to put pressure on Russia," said Friedrich Merz, as the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II continues, with Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine again on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron also mentioned the objective of "a truce or a ceasefire" and asked that Europeans be involved in discussions between the United States, Russia and Ukraine once Donald Trump has fulfilled his objective of bringing the Russian and Ukrainian leaders around the same table.

"Very good protection"

Donald Trump, without going into details, assured that the United States "would be involved" in Ukraine's future security, a crucial issue for Kyiv and the Europeans. "We will give them very good protection," he promised, after having recently specified that any security guarantee would have to be invented outside the NATO framework, to be accepted by Moscow.

The US president announced he would call his Russian counterpart later Monday. The two leaders parted ways in Alaska on Friday without making any announcement.

In an unprecedented diplomatic ballet, NATO chief Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Friedrich Merz, and Emmanuel Macron arrived separately at the White House to rally around Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president reiterated on Monday, before coming to the White House, that Russia should not be "rewarded" for invading his country in February 2022. The American head of state, who has never designated Russia as responsible for the conflict, raised the issue of "territorial exchanges" again on Monday, indicating that the front line should be taken into account.

An official familiar with telephone conversations between European leaders and Donald Trump told AFP on Saturday that the US president supported a Russian proposal that kyiv cede the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions and freeze the front in the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.