President Zelenskyy confirmed on the social media platform X that he would meet Trump to, in his words, “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war,” adding, “I am grateful for the invitation.”

The Ukrainian leader stressed that peace must be “real and lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.” 

He also demanded the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, along with the return of children abducted by Russia. “All of them must come home,” he wrote.

President Zelenskyy’s announcement came after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military facility in Anchorage. 

A red carpet and military flyover set the scene as both men greeted each other on the tarmac under the banner “ALASKA 2025.” Fighter jets and a B-2 stealth bomber roared overhead, a show of U.S. military might that even drew a glance from President Putin.

Although the summit was rich in symbolism, it offered few concrete steps. Trump later said the leaders had agreed to work toward a “Peace Agreement” rather than a mere ceasefire.

Speaking to Fox News television before leaving Anchorage, Trump said a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy would be arranged by the two countries and that he would attend. “Ukraine has to agree. President Zelenskyy has to agree,” Trump said. 

“But it is a terrible war where he is losing a lot. And both of them are. And hopefully it can be completed. That would be a great achievement for them. Forget about me. For them. And you save 7,000 lives a week—that’s a lot,” he added. 

Yet, President Putin has refused to surrender annexed territories or accept Ukraine’s stated goals of joining the NATO military alliance and the European Union. 

However, he suggested Russia was prepared to work on unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine.

Through an interpreter, President Putin said: “We see the striving of the administration and President Trump personally to help facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, and his striving to get to the crux of the matter is precious. As I’ve said, the situation in Ukraine has to do with fundamental threats to our security.”

He also claimed that Russia “always considered the Ukrainian nation a brotherly nation. How strange it may sound in these conditions. We have the same roots, and everything that’s happening is a tragedy for us, a terrible wound. Therefore, the country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it.”

President Trump also revealed that he hopes to meet Putin again soon. That led to an unexpected exchange, when President Putin interrupted Trump’s closing remarks to suggest: “Next time in Moscow.”

Trump laughed, replying: “Ooh… that’s an interesting one. I don’t know, I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I can see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir.”

European leaders, including the heads of France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Finland, Poland, and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, welcomed Trump’s involvement but insisted further talks must include Ukraine’s president.

“As President Trump said, ‘there’s no deal until there’s a deal,’” they wrote in a joint statement. “It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory.”

They added that Russia “cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and NATO,” and that “no limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries.”