Monday’s meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lasted hours and ended with a “breakthrough.”
That is according to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, per Politico.
Rutte said Trump is willing to guarantee some security for Ukraine.
That alone may signal a new relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy as well as their countries.
Another optic from the meeting is the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine, who have been at war for almost for years.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that meeting could happen in a couple of weeks.
Trump went on social media to post what happens next.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump wrote. “Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
French President Emmanuel Macron have his impression on the matter.
“[T]he optimism of your president is to be taken seriously,” French President Emmanuel Macron said to NBC News. “So if he considers he can get a deal done, this is great news, and we have to do whatever we can to have a great deal.”
There were many other takeaways from Monday’s meeting.
One was a different tone from the last time Trump and Zelenskyy met in February. That meeting was much more contentious.
“The vibe between the president and Zelenskyy was terrific,” a senior administration official said to Politico. “What happened in that first Oval meeting is well gone.”
The official said the talks were “really productive.”
Another positive outcome was the influence of European leaders in the meeting.
“The Europeans were positive today, but they are tedious,” the official said. “But they were really good. And if you just were an observer of the two hours today, you’d say, ‘Wow, that’s like a family — a happy family.’ But they all have their own little thing that they want to have happen. And it really is more of a European war than an American war, but none of them has stepped up.” Was it unwieldy to have them all in a meeting together? Yes. “They’re heads of state,” the official said.
“They’re used to being in charge. And when you put seven of them in one room, you get what you would think. But it wasn’t bad.”
Rutte praised Trump for his work in reaching peace.
“What he did this year, breaking the deadlock, starting the conversation with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, but also putting pressure” by demanding NATO countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defense; by facilitating weapons shipments to Ukraine and by increasing tariffs on India over its purchasing of Russian oil.”
“So, he’s putting pressure, but he is also looking for ways to solve this, to bring this war to an end,” Rutte said on “The Ingraham Angle.”
