"Trump to push for trilateral summit with Putin by the 22nd depending on outcome of Zelensky meeting"

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that if the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the 18th (local time) goes smoothly, he intends to seek a trilateral summit including Russian President Vladimir Putin before the 22nd of this month.

On the 16th (local time), CNN reported, "President Trump conveyed to European leaders that if his meeting with President Zelensky proceeds successfully, he wishes to hold a trilateral summit involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine."

President Trump met with President Putin in Alaska the previous day to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, and then spoke with President Zelensky and European leaders by phone to share the details of the talks. However, both sides reportedly failed to reach the originally targeted 'ceasefire agreement.'

President Putin is said to have presented a conditional peace proposal: if Ukraine cedes the eastern Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk) to Russia, military actions would be halted elsewhere. President Trump relayed this to President Zelensky and is believed to be seeking to secure the trilateral summit if parts of the proposal are accepted.

According to CNN, President Trump invited European leaders to his meeting with President Zelensky at the White House on the 18th. At least one European leader is expected to attend, though specifics have yet to be confirmed. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is set to attend.