US President Donald Trump held a closed-door multilateral meeting with European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, along with guarantees to be provided by European nations in coordination with the United States. Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen. During the meeting, a hot mic inadvertently caught audio of Trump whispering to Emmanuel Macron during the meeting.“I think he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants to make a deal,” Trump said. “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds,” the New York Post reported.The remark suggested that Trump believed Putin was inclined to strike an agreement, offering further insight into his assessment of his recent talks with the Russian leader. Trump had met Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. Both leaders described the meeting in positive terms, but no formal agreement or signed deal was announced. Trump stated, “We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” while adding, “We didn’t get there.” Addressing reporters, he remarked, “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.” Trump and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, who also participated in the Alaska summit, claimed that they had secured Putin’s agreement to allow US and other NATO forces to come to Ukraine’s defense should Moscow violate any terms of a potential peace arrangement. Following Monday’s consultations with Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump said he called Putin to begin preparing a direct meeting between the two warring sides, which would be followed by a trilateral session including the US president. He confirmed the plan in a post on Truth Social.
