Extract from ABC News
Donald Trump says he is beginning arrangements for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet after White House talks.
The talks in the East Room have finished, but Mr Trump said earlier he would invite leaders back to the Oval Office.
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Zelenskyy is speaking outside the White House
The Ukrainian president is speaking to the press.
Zelenskyy says this is the first time he has felt like he really got to explain the issues of the war.
He described today as "really really talking about each square kilometre of Ukraine".
Merz says Putin, Zelenskyy to meet within next two weeks
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has just wrapped a press conference following today's talks.
He says he believes Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet within weeks.
This meeting will take place at a yet-to-be-determined location, the German chancellor says.
"The American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks," he told reporters.
Trump had agreed to extend another invitation to a three-way meeting afterward, so that negotiations could truly begin, Merz added.
Reporting by Reuters
Liberal Party now open to supporting Australian peacekeeping in Ukraine
The federal opposition has flagged it's now open to supporting Australia sending troops to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping effort, if a peace deal is reached.
It's a significant policy shift for the Liberal Party. In March, then-leader Peter Dutton described Australian boots on the ground as a "thought bubble by the prime minister".
That was despite world leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, actively discussing a potential "coalition of the willing".
But today, Liberal frontbencher James Paterson told Nine, Australia "should certainly consider that if we're asked".
According to a spokesperson for Sussan Ley, the party's new position is to assess any Ukrainian peacekeeping proposal the government puts forward.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintained his earlier position that if there was a global peacekeeping response, Australia would consider the proposal.
It followed a call he joined with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, as negotiations to end the war continue.
You can read more in our federal politics live blog.
What exactly does Russia want?
Russia currently occupies about 20 per cent of Eastern Ukraine, including Crimea.
In the Donbas, Russia controls about two-thirds, but it has been trying to seize the entire region for about 10 years.
After Alaska, it seemed as if Ukraine was being asked to cede the Donbas region in exchange for security guarantees.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has always said he is not prepared to give up any territory because Russia should not be rewarded for the war.
The Donbas region that Ukraine controls is highly fortified and protects the rest of Ukraine.
There are concerns if Ukraine was to give up that land, it could possibly make it easier for Russia to invade the rest of the country.
European leaders want a US-backed security guarantee for Ukraine, but have repeatedly warned that international borders must not be redrawn by force.
Stubb: Talks saw 'strong consensus' on need to continue support for Ukraine
The leaders present at talks today were in agreement that strong support for Ukraine must continue, Finland President Alexander Stubb says.
"Europe and the United States are further strengthening their common position," he said in a post on X following the talks.
"We will continue our joint efforts with Ukraine, our European colleagues, and the United States tomorrow in Washington DC."
More about that 40-minute Trump-Putin call
We're getting more details about what was said during Trump and Putin's phone call, which the US president said happened after the formal meeting with European leaders.
A Kremlin aide told Russian media the call between the two leaders lasted for roughly 40 minutes and that Putin "warmly" thanked Trump for his hospitality in Alaska, as well as for the progress achieved during the meeting.
Russian news agency RIA is reporting the pair spoke in favour of continuing direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
The aide added Putin and Trump agreed to continue close contact with each other, Russian news agency TASS reports.
Trump arranging Putin and Zelenskyy meeting
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said:
"At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy.
"After that meeting takes place, we will have a trilat, which would be the two presidents plus myself."
Trump also said that during the meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders today, they "discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America".
"Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine."
He said it was a "very good, early step" for the war.
"Vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine," Trump said.
East Room meeting ends
We can now report the meeting of Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders that had been taking place in the East Room of the White House has concluded.
We can't yet confirm if that's the end of talks for the day.
Trump said earlier he would invite the leaders back to the Oval Office after the meeting concluded, according to Reuters.
Europe should be involved in peace talks, Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a future four-way meeting about Ukraine that would include Europe.
He said the idea of a meeting between the US, Ukraine and Russia is "very important, because this is the only way to fix it", but suggested Europe should also be involved.
He did not specify who should speak for Europe.
"As a follow up, we would need the quadrilateral meeting, because when we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent," he said, according to a press pool transcript of today's talks.
"This is why we are all united here with Ukraine."
Reporting with Reuters
Watch: Zelenskyy and Trump discuss elections during war
I wanted to come back to this interaction in the Oval Office earlier. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked: "Upon peace, are you open to holding an election in your country?"
He said yes, but explained why that was a hard thing to do while Ukraine is under attack (and it's worth noting, while so many of its citizens have been displaced).
Zelenskyy said:
"Yes. Of course. Well, open for election, yes. We need safety we ... need to work in Parliament, because during the war, you can't have elections. But we need a truce everywhere on the battlefield, in the sky, and the sea to make possible for people to do democratic, open, legal elections."
His response intrigued Donald Trump who said:
"So you say during the war, you can't have elections. So let me just say three and a half years from now, ... if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. Oh that's good. I wonder what the fake news would say."
Watch it here.
Zelenskyy questioned about elections in Ukraine 'upon peace'
Reports that Trump and Putin have spoken
There are now multiple US media outlets, including Reuters, reporting Donald Trump stepped out of the meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to speak with Vladimir Putin.
The White House hasn't confirmed the call with Russia.
Reuters is reporting some level of talks are expected to continue. We are waiting for more information.
Ukrainians have long been calling for back up … of a political kind
For the first time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be able to prosecute his case to the US president with the aid of some of the world's most powerful people.
Mr Zelenskyy's last appearance at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue appalled Ukrainians, who believed the wartime leader was the victim of pre-meditated ambush, orchestrated by Trump, with his Vice-President JD Vance playing the role of diplomatic bad cop.
Since then, Ukrainians had been hoping that the next time their president entered the Oval Office, he would have at least some support.
Former assistant defence minister, Alexander Khara told the ABC:
"Those who understand the threat that Russia poses not just to Ukraine but to all of Ukraine and can back Zelenskyy and protect him from the American president.
"This war isn't just about territory and sovereignty it's about the whole European security architecture, that Putin wants to shape and their global role.
"That's why it could not be solved with just two leaders sitting around a table."
European leaders hope for ceasefire deal as Trump seeks to pare back expectations
At their press conference in the East Room earlier, some leaders around the table were still hopeful a ceasefire deal will be struck during future talks.
That's despite Donald Trump's failing to broker such a deal at his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
I reported earlier that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it was something all leaders present today were hoping for, but French President Emmanuel Macron echoed these thoughts as well.
German chancellor insists on having ceasefire before next Ukraine talks
Donald Trump appeared to hose down expectations, though.
"Well, we're going to let the president go over and talk to the president, and we'll see how that works out, and if we can do that," he said in response to Merz's comments.
"I will say, and again I say it, in the six wars that I've settled, I haven't had a ceasefire, we just got into negotiations."
In the Oval Office earlier, Trump said he liked the concept of a ceasefire, but a peace deal could be negotiated while the fighting continued.
"I wish they could stop, I'd like them to stop," he said.
"But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other."
'Possible exchange of territory' on agenda
Donald Trump has confirmed the "possible exchange of territory" is on the agenda today.
On Sunday, local time, Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Moscow had made "some concessions" regarding five Ukrainian regions that Russia now fully or partially controls, and that there was an "important discussion with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there."
"That discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday," he told CNN, without giving details.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a referendum denounced as a sham by Kyiv and the West, and did the same in 2022 in four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia — even though its forces have not fully captured them.
A source briefed on a phone call between Trump and European leaders on Saturday told AFP that the US leader was "inclined to support" a Russian demand to be given territory it had not yet captured in the Donbas, an area that includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and that has seen the deadliest battles of the war.
In exchange, Moscow would agree to "freeze" the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions where Russian forces hold swathes of territory but not the regional capitals, the source cited Trump as saying.
Russia had until now insisted that Ukraine pull its forces from all four regions as a precondition to any deal.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that the country's constitution blocks him from giving away land.
Article 2 of the Ukrainian constitution states:
- The sovereignty of Ukraine extends throughout its entire territory.
- Ukraine is a unitary state.
- The territory of Ukraine within its present border is indivisible and inviolable.
The only way to change that, according to Article 73 of the document, is by holding a referendum.
Reporting with AFP
What we know about the talks so far
We had some idea of what would be on the agenda today, but as Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the European leaders meet, let's take a look at what's been said so far.
- Donald Trump has been asked if US-backed security guarantees could include American boots on the ground and he didn't rule it out. He said he wanted Europe to "take a lot of the burden" for the guarantees, but that the US would help out
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he appealed to Trump to ensure the return of Ukrainian prisoners, including children, was part of a peace agreement
- Some European leaders said they were still wanting a ceasefire, despite Trump changing his position on that in Alaska
- Trump said he would speak to Vladimir Putin after today's meeting and that he believed a trilaterial meeting was possible. Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine would want Trump to be at any meeting with Putin
- Trump said they would discuss: "the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact"
- Trump said several times he believed peace was possible.
Analysis: Putin's strikes on Ukraine sure to disappoint Trump
Coming out of the Alaska summit, it was always going to be impossible to know where Vladimir Putin really stood on the negotiations. It is in his interest for the war to grind on. The longer it takes to come to some kind of diplomatic resolution, if that is even possible, the more time his military has to make gains.
And overnight, while the president of the United States was preparing to hold a meeting with European powers, Putin launched more attacks on civilian areas.
Donald Trump takes every opportunity to say he wants the killing to stop, but it appears Putin does not hear that at all.
I wrote about Putin's psychology over the weekend. You can read it here:
In pictures: Trump meets with leaders in East Room
We're getting some more photos rolling in from the leaders' press conference in the East Room.
You can take a look back here.
Putin hits the phones for his own diplomatic discussions
While Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders were heading to Washington, Vladimir Putin was working his global contacts too.
The Kremlin says he has been briefing several world leaders on the discussions he had with Trump at last week's summit in Alaska.
We know the Russian president has had phone calls with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.
As well as talking about the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin says the leaders also discussed other international issues and co-operation.
Watch: Trump says peace in Ukraine is 'within reach' after meeting Zelenskyy
Speaking at the table to European leaders and the media, Donald Trump said Russia will accept security guarantees for Ukraine.
"The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that, while difficult, peace is within reach," he said.
"And I believe that, in a very significant step, President [Vladimir] Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine."
Trump: Peace in Ukraine is 'within reach' after meeting Zelenskyy
He also said the US will try to get a "three-party meeting" with Russia and Ukraine "maybe as soon as we can".
He said he "had a feeling" Putin and Zelenskyy "are going to work something out".
Putin's prize is Ukraine's east and his forces are terrorising people there
I'm in Kharkiv, a major hub in Eastern Ukraine.
Further east is Donetsk and the Kremlin is reportedly demanding Ukraine hand the territory over as part of a peace deal.
But while negotiations play out, Russian forces are wreaking havoc in the region, surging into the territory while continuing an aerial bombardment.
Many people have fled towns and villages close to the front line around the cities of Kramatorsk and Kopiansk.
Cousins and best friends Zinaida and Liubov, who are in their mid 70s, are just two people who were forced to leave.
"We were relocated to a village — Moskovka. But even there, drones are flying around, dropping bombs on houses and on people. They're killing everyone indiscriminately," Zinaida said.
"I don't understand why the whole world can't just tell Putin to stop killing," she added.
"Everyone should come together and say to him: How many more people are you going to kill?"
Liubov told the ABC she now has nowhere to go.
"We are not needed by anyone, not by the country, not by anyone."
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