Ukraine: Zelenskyy 'ready' for talks with Putin

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin must begin with a ceasefire. 

"Someone needs to make a move and that someone is President Putin," Wadephul said during a visit to a US naval base in Japan.

He said Ukraine needs to "think very carefully" about the type of negotiations and the desired outcome.

Wadephul emphasized that lasting peace will require strong security guarantees for Ukraine, with both Germany and the United States ready to support them. 

However, he said, Putin must first be willing to "negotiate in a truly substantive manner and, above all, to agree to a ceasefire." 

Wadephul added that any German involvement would need parliamentary approval.

He called the moment a rare opportunity to end the war in Ukraine and said every effort must be made to seize it.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to hold one-on-one talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin to end the war.

"I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me —  that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy made the comments to reporters following talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders at the White House.

The Ukrainian leader said that he was ready to meet with Putin in "any type of format" without preconditions.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that discussions were taking place on Ukrainian security guarantees, similar to those of NATO member states.

"What we are discussing here is not NATO membership. What we're discussing here is Article 5 type of security guarantees for Ukraine," Rutte said.

"And what they exactly will entail will now be more specifically discussed," the NATO chief added.

Rutte said there had been no discussion in Washington of deploying ground troops and described the White House meeting as a success.

Article 5 refers to NATO's collective defense principle, under which other states come to the aid of a member state if it is attacked.

Zelenskyy has called for guarantees of assistance from the West based on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed a degree of caution over a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Macron said that while a meeting between the two would be a move forward after talks with US President Donald Trump, he remained skeptical.

"Do I think they could be conclusive? I remain very cautious," Macron said, emphasizing that there was still much to be done.

"We have the American president and Ukraine who want peace... I am not convinced about Putin," the French president said.

"I have the greatest doubts about the Russian president's desire for peace. His ultimate goal is to take as much territory as possible, weaken Ukraine and have a Ukraine that is not viable on its own or within Russia's sphere of influence. This is pretty obvious to everyone," Macron said.

The French leader warned that should the process be rejected then sanctions on Russia would need to be ratcheted up in order to pressure Moscow back to the negotiating table.

Joining US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the East Room of the White House, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Ukraine whereas France's President Emmanuel Macron talked about the need for security guarantees.

DW's Richard Walker analyzes the messages European leaders brought to the negotiation table.

DW's Washington bureau chief, Ines Pohl, asked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz if he would be willing to send German peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

"The question of who should be involved in the security guarantees and to what extent will have to be discussed with our European partners and the US government," said Merz.

"What is totally clear is that all of Europe should be involved. This isn't just about Ukraine's territory, it's about the political order of Europe and there, Germany has a major interest and a major responsibility," the German chancellor stressed.

"So being involved for me is clear, to what extent, we have to discuss that in Europe," Merz said.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine had been discussed with European partners.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to take place within the next two weeks.

"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," the Reuters news agency quoted Merz as telling reporters.

The German chancellor said the location was yet to be determined.

The comments come after President Donald Trump said arrangements were being made for face-to-face talks between Putin and Zelenskyy to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said that his meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders had been "very good."

Trump said that arrangements were now being made for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.

"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," Trump said, adding that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would make arrangements between the two countries.

"After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself," Trump said.

The US president also said that security guarantees for Ukraine, provided by European countries and coordinated by the US, were discussed.

A White House official has announced that US President Donald Trump's meeting with European leaders in the East Room has ended.

It was not immediately clear if the leaders would meet in another format later in the day.

Trump had earlier said he would invite them back to the Oval Office after the session ended.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed expanding negotiations on Ukraine to include European leaders.

He made the comments Monday during peace talks with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and other EU leaders.

Macron called a touted trilateral meeting with the US, Russia, and Ukraine "very important" but said Europe should also take part, without naming who would represent it.

Macron added that a quadrilateral format would be needed because security guarantees must cover the entire continent. He said this was why Europe stood united with Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the talks for peace in Ukraine, taking place in Washington, were an important moment.

"We are here, as allies and friends, for peace in Ukraine and in Europe," Von der Leyen said in a post on social media platform X.

"This is an important moment, as we continue to work on strong security guarantees for Ukraine and a lasting and durable peace," the EU chief added.

Von der Leyen is among a group of European leaders attending talks at the White House aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last visited the White House, his military-style outfit drew scorn from US President Donald Trump.

Their February meeting ended in bickering and Zelenskyy being escorted out early, without lunch.

On Monday, under pressure to accept a peace deal in Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, Zelenskyy returned in a black-on-black ensemble — no tie, but closer to formalwear. The change won Trump’s approval.

A reporter who had ribbed Zelenskyy in February over not wearing a suit complimented his new look. "You look fabulous in that suit," the reporter said. Trump quickly added: "I said the same thing."

Zelenskyy seized the moment with a quip. "You're wearing the same suit," he told the reporter. "I changed."

The Ukrainian leader has worn military-style clothes since Russia's 2022 invasion to show solidarity with his troops. But after the February fiasco, he began shifting to more formal attire — wearing a black field jacket and shirt, buttoned to the collar but tie-less, at Pope Francis's funeral in April.

The criticism over his White House appearance earlier this year was widely rejected in Ukraine, where Zelenskyy's wartime leadership has drawn broad support.

Germany's best-selling newspaper, Bild, reported that US President Donald Trump interrupted talks with the visiting European delegation to make a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The publication's deputy editor-in-chief, Paul Ronzheimer, wrote that Trump had announced he would call Putin following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that the round of talks with European leaders would resume afterwards.

The nature of the call was not yet known.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at the White House for crucial talks with US President Donald Trump. Ahead of the bilateral meeting Zelenskyy told reporters that his country was ready to agree on a peace deal with Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday praised US President Donald Trump for opening a path to peace in Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling him the one who broke the deadlock with Vladimir Putin.

"I really want to thank the president of the United States, dear Donald, who broke the deadlock with President Putin by starting that dialogue back in February. From there we are now where we are today," Rutte said at the White House.

Rutte, sometimes described in European capitals as the "Trump whisperer" for his rapport with the US leader, urged all sides to seize the moment.

"If we play this well, we can end this. We have to stop the killing, we have to stop the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure. It is a terrible war and I am really excited. Let’s make the best out of today and get this thing to an end as soon as possible," he added.